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St Catherine’s College . Oxford
2015The Year
MASTER
Professor Roger W
Ainsworth, MA, DPhil, FRAeS
FELLOWS
Fram E Dinshaw, MA, DPhil
Official Fellow
Finance Bursar
Peter D Battle, MA, DPhil
Tutor in Inorganic Chemistry
Professor of Chemistry
A Gervase Rosser, MA (MA,
PhD Lond)
Tutor in History of Art
Associate Professor in History
of Art
Librarian
John S Foord, MA (MA, PhD
Camb)
Tutor in Physical Chemistry
Professor of Chemistry
Robert A Leese, MA status
(PhD Durh)
Fellow by Special Election in
Mathematics
Director of the Smith Institute
Louise L Fawcett, MA status,
MPhil, DPhil (BA Lond)
Tutor in Politics
Wilfrid Knapp Fellow
Professor of International
Relations
John Charles Smith, MA
Tutor in French Linguistics
Vice-Master
Penny A Handford, MA (BSc,
PhD S’ton)
Tutor in Biochemistry
Wolfson Fellow
Professor of Biochemistry
Timothy Cook, MA, DPhil
Fellow by Special Election
Richard I Todd, MA status,
DPhil (MA Camb)
Tutor in Materials Science
Goldsmiths’ Fellow
Professor of Materials
Marc Lackenby, MA (PhD
Camb)
Tutor in Pure Mathematics
Leathersellers’ Fellow
Professor of Mathematics
Marc E Mulholland, MA (BA,
MA, PhD Belf)
Tutor in History
Wolfson Fellow
Gavin Lowe, MA, MSc, DPhil
Tutor in Computer Science
Professor of Computer
Science
President of the Senior
Common Room
Richard M Berry, MA, DPhil
Tutor in Physics
Associate Professor in
Condensed Matter Physics
Ashok I Handa, MA status
(MB BS Lond), FRCS
Fellow by Special Election in
Medicine
Associate Professor in
Surgery
Tutor for Graduates
James L Bennett, MA (BA
Reading)
Fellow by Special Election
Home Bursar
David J Womersley, MA,
DLitt (PhD Camb), FBA
Warton Professor of English
Literature
Cressida E Chappell, MA
(BA, MA Hull)
Fellow by Special Election
Academic Registrar
Secretary to the Governing
Body
David R H Gillespie, MA,
DPhil
Tutor in Engineering Science
Rolls-Royce Fellow
Associate Professor in
Engineering Science
Peter P Edwards, MA (BSc,
PhD Salf), FRS
Professor of Inorganic
Chemistry
Patrick S Grant, MA, DPhil
(BEng Nott) FREng
Vesuvius Professor of
Materials
Justine N Pila, MA (BA, LLB,
PhD Melb)
Tutor in Law
College Counsel
(Leave M15)
Bart B van Es (BA, MPhil,
PhD Camb)
Tutor in English
Sullivan Fellow
Sullivan Clarendon Professor
of English Literature
Senior Tutor
Tommaso Pizzari, MA (BSc
Aberd, PhD Shef)
Tutor in Zoology
Professor of Evolutionary
Biology
Byron W Byrne, MA, DPhil
(BCom, BEng Western
Australia)
Tutor in Engineering Science
Professor of Engineering
Science
Tutor for Admissions
W I F (Bill) David, MA, DPhil
Fellow by Special Election in
Physics
Richard M Bailey, MA (BSc
Leics, MSc, PhD Lond)
Tutor in Geography
Associate Professor in
Geochronology
Dean
Gaia Scerif (BSc St And, PhD
Lond)
Associate Professor in
Experimental Psychology
Tutor in Psychology
Professor of Developmental
Cognitive Neuroscience
Karl Sternberg, MA
Fellow by Special Election
Christoph Reisinger, MA (Dipl
Linz, Dr phil Heidelberg)
Tutor in Mathematics
Associate Professor in
Mathematical Finance
Robert E Mabro, CBE, MA
(BEng Alexandria, MSc Lond)
Fellow by Special Election
Kirsten E Shepherd-Barr, MA,
DPhil (Grunnfag Oslo, BA Yale)
Tutor in English
Professor of English and
Theatre Studies
Angela B Brueggemann,
DPhil (BSc St Olaf, MSc Iowa)
Fellow by Special Election in
Biological Sciences
Associate Professor &
Wellcome Trust Career
Development Fellow
James E Thomson, MChem,
DPhil
Fellow by Special Election in
Chemistry
Andrew J Bunker, MA, DPhil
Tutor in Physics
Professor of Astrophysics
Adrian L Smith, MA (BSc
Keele, MSc Wales, PhD Nott)
Tutor in Zoology
Associate Professor in
Infectious Diseases
(Leave H16-T16)
Andreas Muench, MA (Dr
phil, Dipl TU Munich)
Tutor in Mathematics
Associate Professor in Applied
Mathematics
Kerry M M Walker, DPhil (BSc
Memorial, MSc Dalhousie)
Fellow by Special Election in
Biomedical Sciences
Udo C T Oppermann (BSc,
MSc, PhD Philipps Marburg)
Professor of Musculoskeletal
Sciences
Alain Goriely, MA (Lic en Sci
Phys, PhD Brussels)
Professor of Mathematical
Modelling
Naomi Freud, MA, MSc
Fellow by Special Election
Director of Studies for Visiting
Students
Geneviève A D M
Helleringer, MSc (MSc ESSEC,
Maîtrise, Doctorat Paris I,
Master Paris II, MSc Sciences
Po, JD Columbia)
Fellow by Special Election
in Law
Leverhulme Trust Early Career
Fellow
Duncan A Robertson, MA,
DPhil (BSc Lond)
Fellow by Special Election in
Management
Peter T Ireland, MA, DPhil
Donald Schultz Professor of
Turbomachinery
Pekka Hämäläinen, MA (MA,
PhD Helsinki)
Rhodes Professor of
American History
Benjamin A F Bollig, MA (BA
Nott, MA, PhD Lond)
Tutor in Spanish
(Leave M15-T16)
Eleanor P J Stride, MA
(BEng, PhD Lond)
Fellow by Special Election in
Engineering Science
Professor of Engineering
Science
Paul S Davies (MA Camb)
Tutor in Law
Associate Professor in Law
Saira Uppal (BA Durh)
Fellow by Special Election
Director of Development
K W M (Bill) Fulford, MA,
DPhil. (MB BChir Camb, PhD
Lond), FRCPsych, FRCP
Fellow by Special Election
Heidi de Wet (BSc North-
West, DPhil Cape Town)
Tutor in Pre-clinical Medicine
Associate Professor in
Physiology
Philipp E Koralus, MA (BA
Pomona, PhD Princeton)
Tutor in Philosophy
Fulford Fellow in Philosophy
of Mind & Cognitive Science
Fulford Clarendon Associate
Professor in Philosophy of
Mind
Master and Fellows 2015
C O N T E N T S
ContentsMaster’s Report 2
College Life The Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professorship 6
The Development Office Review 8
Richard Parish 10
From the Archives: Rev VJK Brook, Censor from 1930-1952 12
Outreach 14
Postcards to the Master 16
Sports & Societies Review 2015 18
Finals Results & Prizes 2015 20
Student Perspectives Tom Gaisford (2013, Human Sciences) 26
Sophia Saller (2011, Mathematics) 28
Katie Hickson (2012, Geography) 30
Christian Amos (2013, History) 32
Alumni News Sarah McCready (2008, History) 34
Mark Simpson (2008, Music) 36
Maxine Williams (1992, Law) 38
Martin Heipertz (1997, PPE) 40
Alumni News in Brief 42
College Events 2016 44
Catz Research Bill Fulford and Ashok Handa 46
Kirsten Shepherd-Barr 48
Shimon Whiteson 50
Jessica Goodman 51
Amanda Power 52
Gazette Obituaries 2015 54
Admissions 2015 72
Left: A view of St Catz and the moat
Front Cover Image: John Simopoulos, Founding Fellow of
St Catherine’s, who died in 2015 aged 91© Professor Roger Ainsworth
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Master’s ReportIt is with an air of disbelief that I must start by
recording the passing of John Simopoulos, aged 91,
whilst he was still in the saddle as Dean of Degrees – a
Catz institution if ever there was one. It never really
occurred to any of us that one day he might not be
here. He arrived at the Society in 1951 and laid down
his subfusc 64 years later, having brought considerable
inspiration and joy to many generations of Catz
students, not least through the many Simopoulean
episodes that could be retold. We held a Service of
Thanksgiving for him in Michaelmas.
We mourn, too, John Bayley, who came to Catz from
New College in 1974 as the first Warton Professor of
English Literature, a post he held until 1992. John was
both a rare public intellectual, whose work reached
the widest possible educated public, and a modest
and engaging colleague, whose eccentric presence in
College was a delight to all. We celebrated his life and
work at an event in November.
Most recently, Terry Jones, our first Donald Schultz
Professor of Turbomachinery, died after a long illness.
He was a significant pioneer of a great plethora of
experimental techniques and analysis, with very wide
application. He is fondly remembered as a tutor,
supervisor and colleague, being extremely generous
with his time.
Elsewhere, the college has had a very positive year
indeed, although the Senior Tutor sometimes labels my
report as a rerun of a 1950s Pathé newsreel in terms
of trumpeting tone. I’m sorry but the trumpet is to
the fore this year… sixth in the Norrington Table, with
45 Firsts. There have been plenty of smiles around
the Senior Common Room about our position relative
to those richer and smaller colleges. Here I know my
colleagues would want to pay significant tribute to
the diligence and dedication of our Senior Tutor in
taking so many initiatives to help bolster our collective
attention to the college’s academic culture, in looking
at all aspects of teaching, learning and research. It is
particularly fitting for him, and Kirsten Shepherd-Barr,
that Harriet Smith-Hughes won the Gibbs prize, taking
the top First across the university in English Finals – an
outstanding achievement in a cohort of 251.
There have been so many university and national prizes
this year that I can only mention a few out of a total
of 18. Kirubin Pillay (2014, Engineering Science) has
won a national student design award for his eye-control
wheelchair design. He is currently studying for a DPhil
in Healthcare Innovation. Kirubin’s design includes an
electric module which converts eye movements acquired
from an eye tracker into directional commands, and he
will now receive funding to turn his design into reality.
Samuel Taylor (2012, Law) won the 5 stone Buildings
Well, I’m
sorry but the
trumpet is to
the fore this
year… sixth in
the Norrington
table, with 45
Firsts.
The Master, Professor Roger Ainsworth
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In terms of
its musical
achievements,
the College
continues to
ride the crest
of a great
wave.
Prize for top performance in Trusts, together with a
Gibbs book prize. Courtney Spoerer (2012, Experimental
Psychology) achieved a distinction which is certainly
almost unheard of these days – a congratulatory First
– together with the George Humphrey Prize, the Gibbs
prize and a British Psychological Society Prize. Sabrina
Barrett (2011, Engineering Science) won the ARM Prize
for Digital Technology for her project “Acoustic Signal
Processing to Battle Malaria Mosquitoes”. This project
involved contributing to the development of a wearable
acoustic sensor to detect the sound of mosquitoes
in rural communities, to enable tracking of disease-
carrying mosquitoes.
In addition to the academic achievements, our students
continue to excel in all walks of life. Particularly
impressive was the performance of two of our
batswomen at the Blues T20 cricket match at Fenners.
Cambridge 88 all out; Oxford 217-0. Siân Kelly (Modern
Languages and Linguistics, 2014) and Sarah Attrill
(Biology, 2014), scored more between them than the
whole Cambridge side.
In terms of musical achievements, the College continues
to ride the crest of a great wave. Daniel Shao (2013,
Music) and Cayenna Ponchione (2011, Music) organised
an impressive concert in the Holywell Music Room,
demonstrating the talents of both current students and
alumni, including those of our Honorary Fellow Tom
Phillips (1997, English), Makoto Nakata (2012, Music),
winner of the Oxford Philharmonic Music Concerto
Competition, and Joshua Hagley (2013, Music),
winner of the Royal Opera House Fanfare Competition.
Meanwhile, Mark Simpson (2008, Music) continues to
rise to new heights internationally. Among his many
achievements this year, he was recently soloist at
the BBC Proms, where he performed the fiendishly
virtuosic Clarinet Concerto by Carl Nielsen with the BBC
Symphony Orchestra.
We have created a number of new Fellowships:
Dr Shaw Vee Meng becomes an Honorary Fellow in
recognition of his continuing generosity and Dr Tony
and Mrs Mary Henfrey become Honorary and Domus
Fellows respectively, again for their very loyal support
over many decades. We now have a Henfrey Tutorial
Fellow in Music, Laura Tunbridge, and a new Henfrey
Graduate Scholarship in Chinese Studies to sit alongside
two Henfrey Foundation Scholarships. In addition,
Dr Wilfred Wong’s contribution over the last few years
is recognised by the award of a Domus Fellowship.
We have established a Wilfred Wong challenge which
matches the donations raised in our telethon.
As one would hope, our alumni continue to sparkle,
demonstrating their creative skills and sporting prowess.
They have published over two dozen books this year, on
subjects ranging from Hazlitt, through House of Lords
Reform, Big Data, and Perplexing Problems. James Marsh
(1982, English) has been awarded the Outstanding
British Film BAFTA for directing The Theory of Everything,
the film about Steven Hawking’s life and work. It also
received multiple Oscar nominations. Following her great
success with the children’s book Rooftoppers, inspired
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by her midnight flittings over the All Souls’ roofs,
Kate Rundell (2005, English) has produced another
splendid children’s book, The Wolf Wilder, published by
Bloomsbury. The book is set in the snow-bound woods
of revolutionary Russia and is about Feo, a person who
teaches animals to fend for themselves.
On the sporting front, Charlotte Marshall (2010, Modern
Languages) has earned a place in the world record
books, having rowed 100km, equivalent to the distance
from the Earth’s surface to the edge of the atmosphere,
on a Concept 2 Rowing Machine in under eight hours,
three minutes faster than the previous record.
We are delighted to welcome three new Tutorial Fellows
this year. Professor Shimon Whiteson comes to us
from the University of Amsterdam as a Tutorial Fellow
in Computer Science. His research focuses on artificial
intelligence, with the aim of improving machine learning
for search engine optimisation and developing the
intelligence of telepresence robots. Professor Amanda
Power replaces Professor Gervase Rosser, who moves
permanently to the position of Tutorial Fellow in the
History of Art. Amanda, as the new Sullivan Fellow in
History, joins us from the University of Sheffield. Her
research explores the role and thoughts of the early
English Franciscans, as well as the intellectual, religious
and political life of Medieval Europe. Dr Jessica Goodman
joins us as Tutorial Fellow in French, coming from Clare
College, Cambridge. Her research focuses on authorial
self-fashioning and literary austerity in eighteenth-
century literature and thought. Meanwhile, Professor
Bart van Es becomes the Sullivan Fellow in English
Literature. The College has benefited markedly from the
late Michael Sullivan’s generous legacy and Amanda and
Bart’s fellowships are but two indications of that.
Shimon’s post is a new one in College terms, and, as
an addition to the Computer Science establishment,
alongside Gavin Lowe, it is an investment in the future
in an area we believe to be of considerable importance.
However, the other two posts are equally significant. In
terms of History, I pay tribute to Marc Mulholland’s great
spirit of collegiality as the sole historian tenured Tutorial
Fellow over quite a number of years, whilst also serving
as Dean. Amanda Power will be an excellent colleague
for him. As far as Modern Languages is concerned, we
are truly delighted with Jessica Goodman’s appointment
in French. Jessica is experienced in the Modern
Languages scene in both Oxford and Cambridge and will
be a very worthy successor to Richard Parish, who has
retired after 39 years as a Tutorial Fellow – a record,
and one for which the College is deeply grateful. His
pupils throughout those years have held him in the
highest regard for the fulfilling education which he
has given them, for their interest in the subject he has
engendered, and for the pastoral care he has taken
– and in return, they have shown great loyalty and
affection. We will be holding a dinner for them and for
him in early March. I must also record the retirement of
Professor Susan Cooper, Professor of Particle Physics.
Susan has helped the Physics Department steer a course
through challenging waters, but she is best remembered
across the University for the brave leadership she
...on the
sporting front,
Charlotte
Marshall
(2010, Modern
Languages)
has earned a
place in the
world record
books, having
rowed 100km,
equivalent to
the distance
from the
Earth’s
surface to the
edge of the
atmosphere...
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showed in the great governance debates during the
era of John Hood’s Vice-Chancellorship. She was even
dubbed “Joan of Arc”, I believe, by John Simopoulos. She
leaves a Congregation with a voice which must still be
heeded and a membership which continues to regard
itself as the owner.
I turn now to some achievements of the Fellowship
– I have space only to mention a small fraction. We
congratulated Professor David Womersley on the award
by the University of the Degree of DLitt, in recognition
of the distinction of his academic research over the
years – a high honour too for the college and for his
Department. Professor Richard Parish was awarded
the insignia of the Ordre des Palmes académiques
by the French Ambassador, Madame Sylvie Bermann,
recognising his work in promoting classical French
culture throughout his career. Richard has been
awarded the Order of Commandeur, the highest grade
in the National Order originally founded by Emperor
Napoleon for distinguished academics and figures
in culture and education. We also were delighted to
see the award of the London Zoological Society’s
Scientific Medal to Professor Tom Pizzari, for his
significant contributions to the field, specialising in the
evolutionary ecology of sexual behaviour.
It has been a notable year for success in academy
recognition. Lord Stern, Honorary Fellow and current
President of the British Academy, has been made
a Fellow of the Royal Society, in recognition of his
distinguished career in mathematical economics,
whilst Professor Peter Edwards has been elected to
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences – one of
America’s most prestigious honorary societies. Professor
Kia Nobre, Professorial Fellow in Translational Cognitive
Neuroscience, has been elected to a Fellowship of
the British Academy. Her research looks at how neural
activity linked to perception and cognition, is modulated
according to memories, task-goals, and expectations.
It was with great delight that I attended the ceremony
in the Guildhall in London for the award of Freedom of
the City of London to Professor Angela Brueggemann,
for her outreach work in state schools in South-East
London. Finally, we congratulate Professor Eleanor
Stride (again), a world expert in biomedical engineering,
for receiving a prestigious international prize, the
Institution of Engineering and Technology AF Harvey
Engineering Research Prize worth £300,000, for her
outstanding contributions to biomedical engineering.
I hope I have given you a flavour of the energetic spirit
which has been all pervasive in the college this year.
As the largest college in Oxford by quite a margin,
there is no doubt that we have achieved highly on all
fronts. Not only have our students performed admirably,
but the work of our Fellows has been recognised
and rewarded, our alumni continue to shine, and our
outreach to potential new students is at an impressive
level, with over 12,500 students seen. We know none
of this would be possible without the support of a very
loyal staff in all Departments. I pay very warm tribute to
them all, and to the support I receive from you and the
College Officers. n
It was with
great delight
that I attended
the ceremony
in the Guildhall
in London for
the award of
Freedom of the
City of London
to Professor
Angela
Brueggemann
for her
outreach work
in South-East
London.
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© G
uy B
ell (
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tos.
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)
Established by Honorary Fellow Sir Cameron
Mackintosh and funded through a grant
from the Mackintosh Foundation, the Visiting
Professorship aims to promote interest in,
and the study and practice of, contemporary
theatre.
The title of Simon Russell Beale’s inaugural
lecture as Cameron Mackintosh Professor
of Contemporary Theatre was Everything’s
remade/With shovel and spade: Playing
Shakespeare with Simon Russell Beale. Simon
explained at the start of the lecture that this
quotation is drawn from one of his favourite
poems by Philip Larkin, which contains images
of exceptional resonance. Just as with the
poem, Simon’s conversation with broadcaster
Libby Purves contained many memorable
vignettes, creating a fascinating image of his
career as a celebrated actor.
Simon explained how his wide-ranging and
eclectic experience in theatre, film and
television was influenced in the first instance
by his long stint as a chorister at St Paul’s
School. Libby suggested early in the lecture
that the level of responsibility and attention
to detail required of choristers is arguably an
excellent training-ground for an acting career,
which Simon began after a brief period on the
postgraduate opera course at the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama. Simon revealed
that his extensive musical education has given
him a propensity to ‘find melodies in speech’:
The Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professorship
The College welcomed actor and music historian Simon Russell
Beale as the 24th Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of
Contemporary Theatre. The University Drama Officer, Ellie Keel,
tells us about Simon Russell Beale’s lecture, which took the form
of a dialogue. It took place at St Catz in March 2015.
a prerequisite for any Shakespearean actor.
This reference to Shakespeare was a natural
link to the main focus of the remainder of the
lecture.
It was interesting that Simon noted how the
demands of acting and directing Shakespeare
have changed in recent years, mainly in
terms of audience expectation. He cited the
many directors working today who have ‘a
strong concept of updating the setting’ of
Shakespeare, among them Sam Mendes,
with whom Simon has worked extensively.
Despite these frequent modernizations, the
fundamentals of outstanding Shakespearean
acting in Simon’s book remain the same.
‘Every fresh thought should be like a blow to
Simon Russell Beale
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the head’, he said, referring to the importance
of resisting the temptation to anticipate the
end of a line while delivering it or, more
broadly, avoiding playing a part like Iago with
obvious foreknowledge of what will transpire.
Referring to his own experience of playing
major Shakespearean roles (among them
Iago, Hamlet, Lear and Timon in recent years)
Simon claimed that this had consolidated
his philosophy of what an audience needs in
order to find an actor convincing: Clarity (of
language and syntax), in the first instance,
spontaneity, and the aforementioned
‘freshness’ of thought. One of the examples
Simon gave of this approach to acting was
his experience playing Hamlet at the National
Theatre in 2000. An actor playing Hamlet
faces the distinct challenge of ‘getting rid of
preconceptions’, Simon explained, because
that role has been interpreted so many times
and by so many great actors. Simon revealed
to the audience at St Catz that he had
learned that his mother had died two months
prior to him taking on the role. Libby asked
whether it was ‘redemptive’ to have suffered
this great personal loss before taking on
the momentous challenge of Hamlet. Simon
responded affirmatively, claiming it was in
some ways a ‘privilege’ to have recourse to
the emotional scope of such an experience
while tackling the part.
Simon and Libby’s subsequent discussion of
Simon’s interpretation of Lear in the recent
National Theatre production introduced a
different theme to the subject of acting: the
importance of research. As well as drawing on
his personal experience in order to play a part
convincingly, Simon explained that many of the
roles he has undertaken have required specialist
knowledge. Before playing Lear, he canvassed
members of his family who work in the medical
profession to gain a better understanding of
dementia. Lear, Simon claimed, is irrefutably a
‘nasty old man’, but ‘he must have something
about him that’s loveable’. The importance of
these subtleties is matched only by the demand
to be heard and understood on stage. ‘I’m very
ruthless’, was Simon’s summary of his attitude
in this regard. He explained how together with
the director he will implement changes if a
line seems ‘needlessly elaborate’, so that the
audience can understand ‘at first hearing’.
The example he gave was the line from King
Lear: ‘He cannot touch me for coining’, which
in Simon’s version was rendered as ‘He cannot
touch me for crying’. Similarly, in the acclaimed
production of Timon of Athens, small parts were
added and subtracted from the text to aid clarity.
The last part of the lecture explored Simon’s
lighter roles on stage, including Spamalot.
Libby cited the unique depth that Simon
brings even to comic parts, to which Simon
responded with characteristic humility, referring
to the palpable sadness at the root of some
such roles, and the necessity to ‘play up
truthfulness’. This insight was an intriguing
conclusion to a fascinating lecture, which filled
the audience with anticipation about Simon’s
year ahead as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting
Professor of Contemporary Theatre.” n
Simon’s inaugural lecture is available as a
podcast for all to enjoy, and is available at:
https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/everythings-
re-made-shovel-and-spade-playing-
shakespeare-simon-russell-beale
Broadcaster Libby Purves converses with Simon Russell
Beale about his acting career at his inaugural lecture as
Cameron Mackintosh Professor of Contemporary Theatre
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The Development Office:The year in review
All of the support we receive enables our
College to continue flourishing. Last year,
donations helped us to appoint new Teaching
Fellows in three subjects: French, History,
and Computer Science. We have thereby
maintained our team of over 100 Tutors and
Lecturers, who provide a very high level of
one-on-one tuition.
Donations assisted us in continuing to expand
the financial help we provide for our students.
Last year, we supported one in five of our
undergraduates on the basis of financial need
and offered more than 30 scholarships for
our postgraduates. We were also delighted
to increase our ability to house the College’s
graduate community through a renovation of
St Catherine’s House, which now has 42 new
rooms that are only a short walk away from
the College.
Connecting Catz People Our events enable us to stay in close contact
with our alumni, parents and friends. They
provide a forum for preserving old friendships,
making new connections, and engaging with
The Development Office has a diverse
range of roles at St Catz. We keep our
10,000-strong community of alumni,
parents and friends connected, we
broadcast news from the College, and we
fundraise to preserve the very high quality
of a Catz education. The 2014-2015
academic year featured many milestones,
and we are delighted to share the
successes we had with you.
Supporting Catz StudentsThe generosity of our donors supports all of
the core functions of the College: our world-
class tutorial teaching, the financial help we
provide for students, and the maintenance
and upgrading of our buildings. Last year, we
received over £5 million in gifts, and more
than £1 million in Legacy Pledges, with over
1,600 alumni, parents and friends making
donations. These are our best results
in recent memory, and we would like to
express our deepest thanks to everyone
who donated.
Among the many wonderful gifts we
received, the year was highlighted by three
exceptional contributions. Dr Wilfred Wong
(m. 1976) set up a munificent matching
gift, which significantly boosted the amount
raised in our Telethon. Dr Tony Henfrey
(1963, Chemistry) and Mrs Mary Henfrey
sponsored the Henfrey Tutorial Fellowship in
Music and endowed a Graduate Scholarship
with a very generous donation. What’s
more, we were deeply moved and heartened
by a magnificent Legacy gift from our late
Emeritus Fellow, Professor Michael Sullivan.
Last year, we received over £5 million in gifts and more
than £1 million in Legacy Pledges... These are our best
results in recent memory, and we would like to express
our deepest thanks to everyone who donated.
M E S S A G E S
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the intellectual life of the College. Last year,
we hosted close to 1,000 people at more than
20 events, which included alumni reunions,
memorial services, lectures, and more.
We were honoured to begin the year by
welcoming Simon Russell Beale, who has
been hailed as ‘the greatest stage actor
of his generation’, as Cameron Mackintosh
Professor. His thought-provoking inaugural
lecture, Everything’s remade/With shovel
and spade: Playing Shakespeare with Simon
Russell Beale, was delivered in conversation
with Libby Purves. A podcast of the lecture
can still be viewed at: http://podcasts.ox.ac.
uk/everythings-re-made-shovel-and-spade-
playing-shakespeare-simon-russell-beale.
In the spring, we held a number of exciting
and popular events. We hosted a delightful
dinner gathering at the China Club in Hong
Kong, and we welcomed back many of our
Legators to the College for the inaugural
Dean Kitchin Circle Lunch. This was followed
by our annual London Party, held at the
beautiful Innholders’ Hall, and the Gaudy for
1973-1982 matriculands, at which nearly 300
alumni reminisced with old friends over dinner.
We were very sad to lose two Catz luminaries
this year – John Simopoulos and John Bayley
– and poignant services of thanksgiving were
held for both of them in the autumn. We were
deeply moved by the hundreds of people who
came to offer their condolences and reminisce
about the major contributions that these two
great individuals made to the College.
Broadcasting Catz NewsFor many decades now, CatzEye and The
Year have been the focal point of our
communication with our alumni, parents and
friends. These publications have enabled the
many members of our community to stay
up to date with the latest news from the
College and have painted a vibrant picture
of the wide range of activities that Catz
people undertake. We do hope that you enjoy
reading them.
In recent years, we have significantly expanded
our digital communications. Our Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/stcatz) is lively and active,
enabling us to share news and photos instantly
with a world-wide audience. Nearly 4,000
people have now ‘liked’ our page – an increase
of more than 20% compared to 2014. Our
Twitter feed (@St_Catz) has been growing too
and now has over 2,000 followers. Our LinkedIn
community (search: ‘St Catherine’s College,
Oxford’) also provides a very useful networking
platform for our alumni, parents and friends.
Finally, and as you may be aware, for only
the second time in its long history, the Oxford
Almanack features our College! The Almanack
is a popular calendar which contains key
information relevant to Oxford University, and
the 2016 edition is headlined by a beautiful
painting of St Catz by the artist Cathy Read.
Our inclusion in the Almanack will, in years
to come, mark a significant milestone in our
history and will serve as an important symbol
of the Catz community of which you are an
integral part. If you would like to purchase a
copy, please contact the Development Office
at +44 1865 271760 or at
Donations assisted us in continuing to expand the
financial help we provide for our students. Last year, we
supported one in five of our undergraduates on the basis
of financial need and offered more than 30 scholarships
for our postgraduates.
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1 0 / R I C H A R D P A R I S H
Professor Richard Parish joined St
Catherine’s College in 1976 as a Tutorial
Fellow in French. During his 39 years
at St Catz, he has held a variety of
positions, including Vice-Master, Senior
Tutor, and Tutor for Graduates. It is fair
to say that Modern Languages at St Catz
has benefited greatly from Richard’s
dedication, teaching and leadership.
Although he is retiring, Richard will still be
at the College regularly, succeeding John
Simopoulos as Dean of Degrees.
A lot of hard work and the making of many
new friends is how Richard recalls his first
term at St Catz. After completing his DPhil at
Keble College, Richard took on a lectureship
at Liverpool for three years before returning
to Oxford and joining the St Catz Modern
Languages team of Bruce Tolley, Robert
Pring-Mill and Mike Shotton. His early years
at St Catz were very full, juggling extensive
teaching responsibilities with long hours, but
he credits that time as having taught him how
to teach. Richard has since tutored more than
200 students at the College.
Over the past four decades, Richard has seen
Modern Languages at St Catz develop to
become one of the College’s great strengths,
comprising a strong, collegial community of
tutors and students. Catz has a large Modern
Languages intake, receiving approximately
twelve new students each year, of which
around six to eight will study French. Richard
speaks highly of the motivation and work
ethic of his students, and has enjoyed working
with and getting to know them over the years.
His students have gone on to work in diverse
fields, ranging from law and journalism to
translating and teaching, and he continues to
keep in touch with many of them. When asked
about whether French at Oxford has changed
over the years, he says that the subject today
is more intimately connected with France and
that greater emphasis is now placed on the
language. Students are expected to know
about what is going on in France, to go to
France, and to read criticism in French.
Richard Parish Dean of Degrees
Richard’s research interests focus
predominantly on two major aspects of early
modern French. He has written extensively
on 17th-century neo-classical theatre and on
the French Counter-Reformation, reflecting his
interest in theatre and in the overlap between
theological ideas and their literary expression.
He is currently working on the Mémoires of
the duc de Saint-Simon, which, despite being
the most challenging piece of work that
Richard Parish
Students are expected
to know about what is
going on in France, to go
to France, and to read
criticism in French.
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C O L L E G E L I F E
is looking forward to bringing his own style to
the role and to retaining his close connection
to the College. n
Richard Parish Dean of Degrees
he has embarked on, is a project that he is
looking forward to. His proudest achievement
at Oxford was delivering the Bampton
Lectures in 2009 on aspects of the French
Counter-Reformation. Richard’s contribution
to the field was recognised by the French
Government in 2012, as he was promoted to
the rank of Commandeur dans l’Ordre des
Palmes académiques.
Richard claims that the most rewarding
aspect of his role as Tutorial Fellow has been
to kindle an enthusiasm in students for
the subject. Therefore, it is of no surprise,
that when asked what he will miss most
about the role, Richard simply answers ‘the
students’. Richard says that he has come
to know his students very well and formed
a closeness that has been both fruitful and
unforced. More than any other group, he
will particularly miss Finalists: seeing them
through their final year, and so working with
students who have returned from their year
abroad, are highly motivated, and able to
appreciate nuance in both the linguistic and
literary dimensions of the subject.
Richard speaks fondly of the College today
as a convivial and friendly place. He has
enjoyed working within the collaborative
environment at St Catz, both with his first
Modern Languages colleagues and with later
Catz Fellows, the Revd Colin Thompson, JC
Smith, and Ben Bollig. Richard has seen the
College evolve over the years, growing in
staff and students, and speaks warmly of the
leadership of the Master, Professor Roger
Ainsworth, in fostering a strong sense of
community at the College.
Following retirement, Richard is looking
forward to spending more time at home in the
countryside and pursuing other interests. He
is a wine connoisseur and a music and opera
enthusiast, and enjoys travelling to France,
Portugal and Ireland. As Dean of Degrees,
Richard will be responsible for presenting
candidates at graduation, as well as taking
students to their matriculation ceremony. He
Professor Richard Parish was promoted to the rank of Commandeur dans l’ordre des Palmes académiques, and received the insignia from the French Ambassador (bottom left) at the Maison Française
...it is of no surprise, that
when asked what he will
miss most about the role,
Richard simply answers
‘the students’.
1 2 / F R O M T H E A R C H I V E S
C O L L E G E L I F E
...he is said to have
performed his duties
with the utmost vigour,
with no effort “too great,
no sacrifice of his time
too distasteful, for him
cheerfully to make.
From the Archives: Rev VJK Brook, Censor from 1930 – 1952Alice Wang, an intern in the St Catz
Development Office, delved into the
College archives to find out about the life
of Censor Brook.
St Catherine’s College was founded in
1962, but traces its history back almost a
century earlier to 1868, when a group of 18
undergraduate students matriculated as the
first members of the Delegacy for Unattached
Students. Much has changed since then, and
many individuals have been instrumental in
paving the path to what would become the
College that we know today.
The first head of the Delegacy was Censor
Kitchin, at a time when the Delegacy was
housed in a single room at the top of the
Clarendon Building on Broad Street. Censor
Brook was the fifth of the Censors, holding
the role from 1930 until his retirement in
1952. Alan Bullock succeeded Censor Brook
in 1952 and would later become the College’s
first Master. Censor Brook had considerable
standing in the University and built on the
work of Censor Baker, not only establishing a
new name for the Delegacy as St Catherine’s
Society, but also securing a new building
on St Aldate’s and bringing about increased
status and prestige for the Society.
Born in 1887 and the second son of a Yorkshire
woollen merchant, Censor Brook attended
Bradford Grammar School and matriculated
from The Queen’s College in 1906. He gained
second-class honours in Classical Moderations
in 1908 and a double First in Literae
Humaniores and Theology in 1910 and 1911
respectively. A humorous, sharp and attentive
man, he married in 1914 and had a son and
a daughter. His first wife, who at one time
had worked as Secretary of the Oxford Branch
of the Prisoners’ Aid Society, was a woman
of many interests and someone ‘in whose
company a dull moment is impossible’.
Censor Brook spent several years as a
parish clergyman before finding a calling in
education, first at Charterhouse as assistant
master and house-tutor and then at Lincoln
College, where he was (among other things)
a Fellow, University Lecturer in Reformation
Theology, and Chaplain. He was also
Censor Brook was head of the delegacy from 1930-1952 and re-named it as St Catherine’s Society
F R O M T H E A R C H I V E S
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 1 3
publishing numerous books and essays in
theology and philosophy.
He became Censor of the Delegacy in 1930
after the retirement of Censor Baker, although
he had previously been a tutor in theology, so
was no stranger to the Delegacy. According
to the archives, he ‘identified himself at once
with the society and its purpose and it was
soon realised by the men (then nearly 200
and later over 300) that no individual problem,
whether undergraduate or postgraduate, was
too much trouble for him.’ His 23 years as
Censor was an eventful period, covering the
Second World War, as well as notable changes
in the institution’s history. Building on the
foundations that were laid by Censor Baker,
the Delegacy for Non-Collegiate Students was
renamed St Catherine’s Society in 1931 and a
new site south of Christ Church on St Aldate’s
was offered by the University and secured in
1934. During his time at the Society, he was
also appointed Chaplin of All Souls’ in 1935
and elected a Fellow in 1938.
Censor Brook was actively involved with
Institution life, often hosting students at his
residence on Merton St. He was also often
‘seen on the playing-fields for “Cuppers” and
on the towing-path for “Toggers” and Eights,
places where, if his interest was not always
expert, it was cheerful and welcome.’ He
believed that a key part of the Oxford education
was in the conversations and interactions
with other students, writing in the 1949/50
edition of The Wheel that learning is induced
‘merely by being here, mixing with other men
whose course of study is quite different, whose
outlook is unfamiliar and whose points of view
are varied. Only by that kind of mixing and
broadening does a man become in the wider
sense educated, as well as learned.’
Censor Brook played tennis and liked to walk
extensively, taking long walks every afternoon,
including, once, the 20 miles to Burford.
He was described as ‘always approachable,
though he never allowed his time to be
wasted’ and is remembered by a former
student as an ‘easy conversationalist but was
in no way soft; he had a quick wit, and was
shrewd in his judgment of undergraduates.’
Censor Brook lived in Burford after his
retirement in 1952 and died in 1974. An
obituary in The Times recalls Censor Brook as a
man whose success as an administrator ‘came
from his ability to combine shrewdness with
tact, energy with patience, and a very keen
sense of humour’ and as someone who, with
the individual, was ‘always at his best, giving
a quite tireless patience and understanding.’
He inspired respect and affection throughout
the College and University. n
Censor Brook gained a double First in Literae Humaniores and Theology and spent several years as a Parish Clergyman before working in Education. He believed conversations with other students to be a key part of the Oxford Education
Prebendary of Lincoln and Examining Chaplain
to the Bishop of Lincoln. At Lincoln, he is said
to have performed his duties with the utmost
vigour, with no effort ‘too great, no sacrifice
of his time too distasteful, for him cheerfully
to make.’ Censor Brook also played a central
role in the University, as a member of
Hebdomadal Council, Senior Proctor, a Select
Preacher, and a Delegate of Lodgings and of
Local Examinations. He was also a scholar,
1 4 / O U T R E A C H
C O L L E G E L I F E
At St Catherine’s we are committed to
recruiting the brightest students from all
backgrounds. Over the past few years, we
have been steadily increasing our outreach
work with schools and colleges to ensure
we are accessible to more students. The
College’s Admissions & Access Officer,
Kathryn Thompson, tells us about her role.
‘I spend approximately half of my time
working on outreach. This involves hosting
visits at the College from school groups
and visiting schools to give presentations
about the University, all with the aim of
demystifying the application process, helping
students make informed decisions and
encouraging applications to both St Catz and
the wider University.
Much of our outreach work at St Catherine’s
takes place with schools in Ireland, as part
of the University’s regional links programme
(www.ox.ac.uk/linkcolls). The regional links
programme aims to ensure that each school
in the UK has a named first point of contact
within the University, if teachers or students
are unsure who to contact for guidance in the
application process. Over the last few years
I have visited Northern Ireland on numerous
occasions, giving presentations to prospective
applicants, representing the University at
UCAS events, and joining with colleagues
from Cambridge to deliver Oxbridge
information events.
There are practical problems in inviting
schools from Northern Ireland to come and
visit Oxford for a day trip, and consequently
in July we were delighted to organise our
first residential summer school for students
and teachers. The summer school was jointly
hosted by St Catherine’s and New College,
and welcomed a total of 82 students and
teachers from 21 schools across Northern
Ireland. The main focus of the programme
was the opportunity to take part in tutorials
with Oxford tutors, supplemented with
admissions-related and social activities. A real
highlight for those who participated was the
opportunity to spend time getting to know
some of our College student ambassadors,
who inspired them with their enthusiasm for
St Catz and for the Oxford system.
Although much of our outreach work takes
place with schools in Northern Ireland, we also
welcome a large number of visits from groups
of sixth formers or secondary school students
in other regions of the UK. A typical visit
usually involves an admissions talk, the chance
to chat to current students and explore the
College, lunch in Hall and sometimes a subject
taster session or visit to another college.
Schools often comment that they find it useful
to bring their students to Catz because of our
modern architecture and openness. A visit to
St Catherine’s can provide a good contrast to
Outreach
Students and teachers from Northern Ireland benefitted from a residential outreach event at St Catz
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 1 5
C O L L E G E L I F E
one of the older colleges, or be somewhat
less daunting, and we hope that this helps us
to debunk some of the Oxford stereotypes.
We’re always delighted to be able to make
contact with schools we have not worked with
previously and welcome all school groups to
arrange a visit to Catz.
This year we have also hosted a few visits
for primary school children to find out more
about university life. These events take a
slightly different format to our usual school
visit: children hear the story of “Dave and
We look forward to developing our work
with schools and colleges further in 2016.
Information about our outreach work can be
found at www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/outreach. n
Although much of our
outreach work takes place
with schools in Northern
Ireland, we also welcome a
large number of visits from
groups of sixth formers or
secondary school students
in other regions of the UK.
Primary School children find out about university life
the Great University Mystery”, and then find
out about university life by interviewing a
student, taking part in a scavenger hunt and
eating lunch in Hall. A key highlight of the
visit is the chance for the children to dress
up in a gown and mortar board and receive a
certificate at ‘junior graduation’ as a memento
of the day!
The University-wide Open Days in July and
September are always key dates in the
calendar for the Admissions Office at St
Catherine’s. This year, as always, we were
delighted to welcome hundreds of prospective
applicants and parents to the College and
to give them the chance to explore the
College facilities and meet tutors and current
students. The enthusiasm of our Catz student
ambassadors always
knows no bounds,
even despite the
36-degree heat of
the first Open Day
this year!'
Primary School children enjoy dressing up and ‘graduating’ at the end of their outreach day
This year, College Travel Awards were awarded
to more than 45 students who planned,
organised, and undertook expeditions
across the world. Many students undertook
charitable work, and all found their
experiences culturally and educationally
enriching. Postcards landed on the Master’s
desk from, amongst other countries,
Honduras, China, Japan, Ecuador and Iceland.
Here are four of the many he received…
Postcards to the Master
1 6 / P O S T C A R D S T O T H E M A S T E R
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Emma Hallam (2014, Experimental Psychology),
the JCR Clubs and Societies Representative shares
some of the College’s many sporting and cultural
activities of the past year.
The sporting and cultural life at St Catz has continued
to thrive in a year that has also seen us enjoy a record
sixth placing in the Norrington table. This year has
been excellent in relation to Cuppers success as well as
the number of students representing the College and
University, with 19 members of the College achieving
full Blues.
In addition to sport, there are also numerous cultural
societies, which are not only popular with the
students, but also play a key part in contributing to
the richness of college life. Photography, Zumba and
Mindfulness and Meditation are just some of the many
societies on offer, thus ensuring St Catz students have
diverse and extensive extra-curricular opportunities.
There are also an array of academic societies, with the
Biomedical Society having organised numerous events
with speakers such as sixth-year medic Andrew Dooley
(2012, Medicine), who spoke about the advances in
cancer treatments.
Sports and Societies Review 2015
Founded this year, the Arts Club helped fund a trip to
the Middle East for Catz students to make a documentary
about Palestinian refugees. The club also organised an
incredible Arts Festival during the second week of Trinity.
Featuring a jam-packed revue comedy night, a spoken
word poetry evening from young poets laureate of
London and a spine-chilling immersive film screening in
the woods behind the college, the St Catz Arts Festival
proved hugely popular with both college and wider
university members. With 16 free events packed into one
week, including a dance show, talks from three artists,
an open mic night, an improvised promenade play and a
viewing of short films with Catz-composed live scores, the
Arts Club was quick to credit the generosity and support
of the College, which enabled them to host the week.
Sport remains one of the strengths of the College.
Many new clubs and societies have been formed this
year, including Table Football, Women’s Cricket, Lacrosse
(not previously active) and Volleyball. Two volleyball
teams were entered into the inter-college league,
with one making it through to the knockout stages.
Rounders Cuppers also took place for the first time this
year, and the Catz team reached the final.
Women’s Football has enjoyed a hugely successful
season, most notable for the fact the team did not
The sporting
and cultural
life at St Catz
has continued
to thrive in a
year that has
also seen us
enjoy a record
sixth placing in
the Norrington
table
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 1 9
Catz JCR Volleyball team Catz Men’s 5-a-side Football
team
Catz JCR Women’s Football team
Michael Fernando ran the
London Marathon in full
hockey goalkeeping kit,
raising £37,880.03 for Cancer
Research UK
concede a goal all season. They won their league and
move up to the top university division for next season.
Men’s Football 5-a-side team won their Cuppers
tournament, whilst Touch Rugby placed third and Men’s
Rugby team reached the quarter-finals.
Women’s Tennis also won Cuppers, beating Keble in the
final after a 3-3 score led to a deciding tie-breaker after
full-time
Women’s Hockey placed third in the league, losing to
eventual winners Quildas (Queen’s and St Hilda’s). Both
Men’s and Mixed Hockey teams reached the Cuppers’
quarter-finals.
We also have a gifted dance, drama and music
community. The Catz Choir and Orchestra perform to
a high standard, with Thomas Pease (2013, Modern
Languages), Thomas Gaisford (2013, Human Sciences)
and Natalie Fairhurst (2014, Medical Sciences)
members of the University mixed a cappella group, the
Alternotives. Three members of Catz are also part of the
‘Broad Street Dancers’, who put on a sell-out show at the
Old Fire Station during Hilary. Many Catz members have
been involved in university plays and musicals – Jacob
Boswall (2014, Oriental Studies) participating in seven
different plays, including the Catz Cuppers performance
‘Don’t Say Macbeth’, which made it through to the final
ten plays and for which Boswall was nominated for best
supporting actor. He also performed in ‘Richard Parker’ at
the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer.
Finally, the student body voted for the Catz Sports
and Arts Personalities of the Year 2015. Lucy Byford
(2013, History of Art) was awarded the Arts Personality
of the Year award, in recognition of her outstanding
organisation of Arts Week. Michael Fernando (2012,
Philosophy, Politics & Economics) received the Sports
Personality of the Year for running the London
Marathon in full hockey goalkeeping kit, for which he
raised £37,880.03 for Cancer Research UK. n
C O L L E G E L I F E
2 0 / S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 52 0 / F I N A L S R E S U L T S
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Biological SciencesHannah Zainuddin - II (i)Poppy Simmonds - ICalum Suggett - II (i)Alistair Leverett - IScott Layzell - II (i)Augustus Jones - II (i)
Biomedical SciencesJoe Jones - II (i)Lucia Almazan Sanchez - II (i)Rory Cox - II (i)Alexander Moore - II (i)
Chemistry (MChem)Jacob Pratt - IMichael Hirst - II (i)Matthew Fisher - II (i)Fiona Porter - II (i)Jacob Page - IJacob Wood - II (i)James Windmill - II (i)Chun-Mann Chin - IRoya Athill - II (i)
Computer Science (BA)Manol Vitanov - II (ii)Samuel Lanning - II (i)Michael Savage - II (i)
Computer Science (MCompSci)Laura Bengescu - II (i)Peter York - II (i)
Economics & ManagementKarum Bachra - IJai Kapoor - IGreg Zolotukhin - II (i)
Finals Results 2015Engineering Science (MEng)Mandeep Mohan - II (i)Dean Irvine - II (i)Iona Richards - IBenjamin Thomas - IAdeleke Abolade - II (ii)Sabrina Barrett - I
Engineering, Economics & Management (MEng)Sagar Shah - I
English Language & LiteratureHarriet Smith Hughes - IWilkie Hollens - II (i)Imelda Dooley Hunter - II (i)Sarah Illingworth - IGeorge Townsend - IXinlan Rose - II (i)Anna Wakelin - II (i)Robin Muir - II (i)Francis Macpherson - II (i)
English & Modern LanguagesAmaryllis Barton - I
Experimental PsychologyRebecca Appleton - II (i)George Cox - II (i)Lucas Shelemy - II (i)Courtney Spoerer - I
Fine Art (BFA)Louisa Siem - II (i)
GeographyHolly Jackson - II (i)Oliver Troen - I
Michaela Belham - II (i)Katherine Hickson - IBeth Morgan - II (i)Aya Abrahams - II (i)Amelia Davy - IJames Taylor - II (i)Jake Ince - I
HistoryLisa Staniforth - II (i)Kalila Bolton - II (i)Callum Kelly - IKatie Reay - II (i)Katie Power - II (i)Catherine Lillycrop - I
History & Modern LanguagesTara Flores - II (i)
History & PoliticsAlexander Ryan - II (i)Robert Blackwell - II (i)
History of ArtBeatrice Cooke - II (i)Maryanne Saunders - II (i)
Human SciencesNamo Ata - II (i)Kerem Osborne Dikerdem - IChristopher Edwards - II (i)Fleur Nash - II (i)
LawStephanie Austera - II (i)Martin Dickson - IEleanor Diamond - II (i)Matthew Wigens - II (i)Samuel Taylor - IFraser Burlingham - I
Law with Law Studies in EuropeRoxane Reiser - I
Materials Science (MEng)Frederica Onslow - IRobert Hamlet - II (i)
Mathematics (BA)Jacob Armstrong - II (ii)Michael Liu - II (ii)Rahul Kulkarni - II (i)
Mathematics (MMath)Sophia Saller - IPatrick Tesh - II (i)Paul Allen - II (i)Edward Steele - ICharles Grover - IPaul Dobson - I
Mathematics & Computer Science (MMathCompSci)Alexander Eyers-Taylor - II (i)
Mathematics & Statistics (BA)Jason Ng - II (ii)
Medical SciencesLouis Gardner - II (i)Michael Tai - II (ii)Luke Turner - II (i)Clare Smedley - II (i)Robert Burdon - II (i)Hugh Johnson - II (i)
Modern LanguagesJocelyn Turton - IOlivia Peacock - II (i)William Goddard - IJeremy Ferec-Dayson - II (i)Charlotte Badenoch - II (i)Ruwan Seevaratnam - II (i)
Modern Languages & LinguisticsJoseph Cock - I
Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry (MBiochem)Katherine Ember - II (i)Miles Huseyin - IRosemary Bridson - II (i)Carolyn Scott - I
MusicSophie Strudwick - II (i)Daniel Baboulene - II (i)Tomos Nicholls - II (i)Makoto Nakata - I
Oriental Studies (BA)Clementine Brown - I
Philosophy, Politics & Economics (BA)William Key - II (i)Clara Perez Bocanegra - II (i)Miriam Mahmoud - II (i)Pierre Loning - IHisham Zaman - II (i)Shan Chang - I
Physics (BA)Benjamin Baron - II (i)Alexander Mol - IAmelie Buxton - III
Physics (MPhys)Mark Johnson - IJames Arch - IJasmine Finer - II (i)Thomas Miller - I
Physiological SciencesRory Dilworth - II (i)
SCHOLARSHIPS & EXHIBITIONS
ScholarsJames Arch (Physics) College ScholarThomas Barrie (History of Art) College ScholarLucy Budd (English Language & Literature) College ScholarKatie Burns (Biological Sciences) College ScholarOscar Chang (Computer Science & Philosophy) ATV ScholarAlexander Davies (Chemistry) College ScholarEleanor Diamond (Law) David Blank ScholarWilfred Diment (Chemistry) F M Brewer ScholarKatherine Ember (Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry) College ScholarNicole Evans (Chemistry) College ScholarAyako Fujihara (Philosophy, Politics & Economics) Philip Fothergill ScholarSusannah Gold (Biological Sciences) Rose ScholarHannah Griffiths (Chemistry) College ScholarMatthew Gripton (Computer Science) ATV ScholarCharles Grover (Mathematics) College ScholarMorio Hamada (Biomedical Sciences) Rose ScholarJoel Hancock (Mathematics) College Scholar
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Matthew Harrison (Modern Languages) College ScholarWilliam Hartz (Chemistry) ATV ScholarMiles Huseyin (Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry) College ScholarMark Johnson (Physics) College ScholarIsaac Kitchen-Smith (Biological Sciences) College ScholarHugo Leatt (Modern Languages) College ScholarXiewen Liu (Materials Science) Kaye ScholarJonathan Moloney (Chemistry) College ScholarLauren Moult (Human Sciences) Clothworkers ScholarNguyet Anh Nguyen (Economics & Management) Clothworkers ScholarMaria O’Hana (History of Art) Goldsworthy ScholarHuw Oliver (Modern Languages & Linguistics) Baker ScholarJames Orrell (Music) Répétiteur ScholarAlice Pickthall (History) Garret ScholarStefans Rozanskis (Chemistry) ATV ScholarEmma Ruskuc (Psychology & Linguistics) College ScholarLiam Saddington (Geography) College ScholarLatifah Sat (Law) David Blank Scholar
Carolyn Scott (Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry) College ScholarAmelia Sellers (Experimental Psychology) College ScholarAudrey Shi (English Language & Literature) Brook ScholarAmy Symons (Philosophy, Politics & Economics) College ScholarRajan Tanti (Engineering Science) Geoffrey Griffith ScholarJoanna Thompson (Geography) Goldsworthy ScholarJoseph Waldron (Law) David Blank ScholarThomas Wells (English Language & Literature) College ScholarAdam Weston (History & Politics) College Scholar
ExhibitionersAlistair Adams (Physics) College ExhibitionerRoya Athill (Chemistry) College ExhibitionerRosemary Barker (Medical Sciences) College ExhibitionerRobert Blackwell (History & Politics) College ExhibitionerRosalind Booth (Chemistry) College ExhibitionerSanjana Canumalla (Law with Law Studies in Europe) College ExhibitionerPhoebe Corker-Marin (Experimental Psychology) College Exhibitioner
Thomas Gaisford (Human Sciences) College ExhibitionerLouis Gardner (Medical Sciences) College ExhibitionerAlexander Grigg (Modern Languages) College ExhibitionerPaul-Stefan Herman (Computer Science) College ExhibitionerChristopher Horner (Mathematics) College ExhibitionerHugh Johnson (Medical Sciences) College ExhibitionerJoe Jones (Biomedical Sciences) College ExhibitionerKristian Kostadinov (Computer Science) College ExhibitionerPierre Loning (Philosophy, Politics & Economics) College ExhibitionerChristopher Mason (Chemistry) College ExhibitionerGrace Mayhew (Oriental Studies) College ExhibitionerEleanor McIntyre (Modern Languages) College ExhibitionerOwen Morgan (Engineering Science) College ExhibitionerHannah Partington (Biomedical Sciences) College ExhibitionerJoe Phillips (Engineering, Economics & Management) College ExhibitionerChuan Qin (Engineering
Science) College ExhibitionerPatrick Shammas (Mathematics) College ExhibitionerTamara Shaw (Chemistry) College ExhibitionerLucas Shelemy (Experimental Psychology) College ExhibitionerAkash Sonecha (Law) College ExhibitionerLisa Staniforth (History) College ExhibitionerMiranda Stoddart (Medical Sciences) College ExhibitionerStephen Turrell (Materials Science) College ExhibitionerEmma Vidler (Medical Sciences) College Exhibitioner
PRIZES AND AWARDS
University PrizesUndergraduates5 Stone Building Prize for TrustsSamuel Taylor (Law)
ARM Prize for Digital TechnologySabrina Barrett (Engineering Science)
Armourers & Brasiers’ Company / Rolls Royce Prize for Outstanding Performance in PrelimsKaiyi Chen (Materials Science)
British Psychological Society Undergraduate AwardCourtney Spoerer (Experimental Psychology)
Ensoft Prize for Group Design PracticalsPaul-Stefan Herman (Computer Science)
George Humphrey Prize in Psychological StudiesCourtney Spoerer (Experimental Psychology)
Gibbs Book PrizesCarolyn Scott (Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry)Samuel Taylor (Law)
Gibbs Prize for Group Project PresentationAmelie Buxton (Physics)
Gibbs Prize for the Best Overall Performance in Course IHarriet Smith Hughes (English Language & Literature)
Gibbs Prize for the Best Paper 6 Extended EssayHarriet Smith Hughes (English Language & Literature)
Gibbs Prize for the Best Psychological Studies Library DissertationCourtney Spoerer (Experimental Psychology)
Herbertson Prize for the Best Human Geography DissertationAmelia Davy (Geography)
Institution of Civil Engineers Student Prize for the Best Performance in Civil EngineeringIona Richards (Engineering Science)
Law Faculty Prize in Copyright, Trade Marks and Allied RightsMartin Dickson (Law)
Linklaters Prize in Competition Law and PolicyMartin Dickson (Law)
Maurice Lubbock Prize for the Best Performance in the Honour School of EEMSagar Shah (Engineering, Economics & Management)
Motz Prize for the Best Project in Electrical EngineeringDean Irvine (Engineering Science)
Prize for Best Performance in A Roman Introduction to Private LawLatifah Sat (Law)
SABMiller Joint 3rd Prize for Performance in FHS Part IAWilfred Diment (Chemistry)
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WorldQuant Prize for Group Design PracticalsMatthew Gripton (Computer Science)
Worshipful Company of Ironmongers Prize for Best Part II TalkFrederica Onslow (Materials Science)
GraduatesBlackwood Student Design AwardKirubin Pillay (Engineering Science)
British Geotechnical Association Cooling PrizeWilliam Beuckelaers (Engineering Science)
Law Faculty Prize in Comparative Corporate LawThom Wetzer (Law)
Law Faculty Prize in Principles of Financial RegulationThom Wetzer (Law)
MLF Prize for the Best Overall Performance in the MSc in Law and FinanceThom Wetzer (Law)
MLF Prize in Law and Economics of Corporate TransactionsThom Wetzer (Law)
College PrizesThe Burton Prize for the best academic performance
during the year in an area covering Psychology, Sociology, Geography and Human Sciences was awarded to Courtney Spoerer (Experimental Psychology).
The Cochrane Evidence-Based Medicine Prize for the best critical appraisal of evidence answering a practical clinical question was awarded to Joel Ward (Medical Sciences) and Dilraj Kalsi (Medical Sciences).
The Francis and Caron Fernandes Music Prize for contributing towards the musical life of the College was awarded to Hannah Scott (Music).
The Gardner Prize for outstanding contribution to the life of the College was awarded to Liam Saddington (Geography).
The Harold Bailey Prize for Asian Studies was awarded to Clementine Brown (Oriental Studies).
The Katritzky Prize for the best performance in Chemistry Part I was awarded to Michael Jones (Chemistry).
The Katritzky Prize for the best performance during the year in History of Art by a second-year was
awarded to Maria O’Hana (History of Art).
Leask Music Scholarships were awarded to Joshua Hagley (Music), Natalie Fairhurst (Medical Sciences) and James Orrell (Music).
The Michael Atiyah Prize in Mathematics for the best mathematics essay or project written by a St Catherine’s undergraduate in his or her second year reading for a degree in Mathematics or joint school with Mathematics was awarded to Chan Bae (Mathematics & Computer Science).
The Neville Robinson Prize for the best performance in Physics Part B was awarded to Alexander Mol (Physics).
The Neville Robinson Prize for the best performance in Physics Part C was awarded to Thomas Miller (Physics).
The Peter Raina History Essay Prize for the best essay by a second-year reading History was awarded to Aoife Hyde (History).
The Rose Prize for the best academic performance during the year in Biological Sciences was awarded to Alistair Leverett (Biological Sciences) and Poppy Simmonds (Biological Sciences).
The Rupert Katritzky Prize is awarded for the best performance in the Final Honour School in History was awarded to Callum Kelly (History) and Catherine Lillycrop (History).
The Smith Award for services to Drama within the College was awarded to Thomas Wells (English Language & Literature).
The Smith Award for services to Music within the College was awarded to Daniel Shao (Music).
The Stuart Craig Award given to an outstanding student who has gained distinction in a university or national sport, or cultural or musical activities was awarded to Daniel Shao (Music).
The Thomas Jefferson Prize for the North American student who has contributed most to the College academically, socially or culturally ‘in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson’ was awarded to Leo Mehr (Visiting Student).
The Wilfrid Knapp Prize for the best essay by a second-year reading PPE was awarded to Amy Symons (Philosophy, Politics & Economics).
College Travel AwardsWallace Watson Award Thomas Joy (Engineering Science)
Patricia Knapp AwardDavid Rowland (Medical Sciences)Katy-Louise Whelan (Medical Sciences)
Emilie Harris AwardTrevon Joseph (Engineering Science)
Bullock Travel AwardAnna Wakelin (English Language & Literature)
Bullock Career AwardPersis Love (Modern Languages)
Philip Fothergill AwardGuillermo Pascual Perez (Mathematics)
Raymond Hodgkins AwardLucy Byford (History of Art)Emily Norcliffe (English Language & Literature)
Environmental Travel AwardAlexei Du Bois (Education)
Antony Edwards BursaryAbigail White (Modern Languages & Linguistics)
Teach First BursaryLisa Staniforth (History)
College Travel Awards Adeleke Abolade (Engineering Science)Hector Bagley (Interdisciplinary Area Studies)Laura Bengescu (Computer Science)Luca Bertinetto (Engineering Science)Jeremy Bosatta (Modern Languages)Jacob Boswall (Oriental Studies)Lisa Buziek (Law)Nathan Caldecott (Fine Art)Oscar Chang (Computer Science & Philosophy)George Cox (Experimental Psychology)Louise Dandy (Geography)David Furlong (Computer Science & Philosophy)Matthew Geiger (Geography)Oliver Glanville (Geography)Paul Guy (Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry)Jack Hampton (Philosophy, Politics & Economics)Alexander Hetherington (MPLS Doctoral Training Centre)William Honey (Engineering Science)Ayumi Igarashi (Computer Science)
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Graduate Degrees & DiplomasDuring the academic year 2014-2015 leave to supplicate for the DPhil was granted to the following:
Kseniya Arsentieva (Mathematics)Asymptotic Solutions for Porous Medium and Inviscid Flow
Casper Beentjes (Mathematics)The Best Performance in the MSc in Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing
Farid Boussaid (Oriental Studies)The Political Economy of State-Business Relations in Morocco
Judith Campos Cordero (Mathematics)Regularity and Uniqueness in the Calculus of Variations
Christopher Chan (Engineering Science) *Magneto-Inductive Wave Data Communications Systems
Luying Chen (Computer Science)Integration and Querying over Semantic Annotations
Matteo Cremonesi (Physics)Observation of S-Channel Single Top Quark Production at the Tevatron
Nadiya Figueroa (International Development) *The Construction and Contestation of Legitimate Authority in Contemporary Jamaica
Judyta Frodyma (English Language & Literature) Wordsworth’s Scriptural Topographies
Patrick Gan (Chemistry)Electrochemical Studies at Carbon-Based Electrodes
Eliza Gheorghe (Politics & International Relations)Atomic Politics: Romania’s Cold War Nuclear Acquisition Strategy, 1962-1979
Paul Gray (Experimental Psychology)Maltreatment-related Processes of Emotion Regulation and Social Understanding: A Study of Adolescents in Care in New South Wales
Caroline Harfield (Engineering Science)Bubbles: Sensors for the Micro-World
Matthew Hennessy (Mathematics)Mathematical Problems Relating to the Fabrication of Organic Photovoltaic Devices
Esme Hill (Medical Sciences)Perfusion Imaging and Tissue Biomarkers for Colorectal Cance
James Iles (Zoology) *The Molecular Epidemiology of HCV & Related Viruses in Africa
Raja Jayaram (Medical Sciences)Effects of Peri-operative Statin Treatment on Atrial Electrical Properties, Post-Operative Atrial Fibrillation and In-Hospital Clinical Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Elective Cardiac Surgery
Felix Kahlhoefer (Physics)Complementarity of Searches for Dark Matter
Anneke Kramm (Medical Sciences) Identification and Characterisation of Epigenetic Mechanisms in Osteoblast Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Georgina Lang (MPLS Doctoral Training Centre)Mechanics of Swelling and Damage in Brain Tissue: a Theoretical Approach
Alpha Lee (Mathematics)Statistical Physics of Bulk and Confined Ionic Liquids
Ren Lim (Physics)Application of External Torque on the Bacterial Flagellar Moto
Grant McDonald (Zoology)Competitive Structure and the Operation of Sexual Selection
Moctar Kane (International Development)Caroline Leclerc (Continuing Education)Junsong Lin (Physics)Sarah Lyons (Philosophy, Politics & Economics)Katarina Martinovic (Physics)Julian Marwitz (Continuing Education)Christopher Mason (Chemistry)Sarah Mathews (History of Art)Kinga Petrovai (Education)Isobel Renton (History of Art)Henry Richardson Banks (Medical Sciences)Maria Rodriguez Arteaga (Management Studies)Lauren Sabin (Geography)Latifah Sat (Law)Anwesha Sengupta (Oriental Studies)Poppy Simmonds (Biological Sciences)Yosef Singer (Medical Sciences)Luke Turner (Medical Sciences)Emma Vidler (Medical Sciences)Jingjing Wang (Government)Peter York (Computer Science)
The Charles Wenden Fund has continued to support the sporting life of the College.
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Calum Mechie (English Language & Literature)Re-Conditioning England: George Orwell and the Social-Problem Novel
Andrey Melnik (Mathematics)The Role of Anisotropy and Fiber Dispersion in the Mechanics and Remodeling of Biological Tissues
Daniel O’Connor (Medical Sciences)Genetic Determinants of Vaccine Responses
Joshua Owen (Engineering Science)Magnetic Microbubbles: investigation and design of new formulations for targeted therapy
Konstantinos Papoutsis (Engineering Science) *Construction and Characterisation of MRI Coils for Vessel Wall Imaging at 7 Tesla
Chun Peng (Law)Taming the Dragon: Rural Land Takings Law in Modern China
Max Pitz (Mathematics)Topological Reconstruction and Compactification Theory
Daniel Puleston (Medical Sciences)The Role of Autophagy in CD8+ T Cell Immunity
Nazanin Rashidi-Alavijeh (Chemistry)Cation and Anion Doping of ZnO Thin Films by Spray Pyrolysis
Timothy Rooney (MPLS Doctoral Training Centre) *Development of Small Molecule Inhibitors of the Bromodomain-Histone Interaction
Mathias Rufino (Physics)Two Non-Equilibrium Phenomena in Low-Dimensional Electronic Systems
Rok Sekirnik (Chemistry)Studies on Ribosonal Oxygenases
Arghya Sengupta (Law)Speaking Truth to Judicial Power: Judicial Independence, Accountability and Reform of the Indian Higher Judiciary
David Shackleton (English Language & Literature)Grand Narratives: Time and History in the Work of H. G. Wells, D. H. Lawrence and Virginia Woolf
Dong Myung Shin (Chemistry)Growth of Doped Transparent Conducting Oxides by Oxygen Plasma Assisted Atomic Beam Epitaxy
Inga Shpilevaya (Chemistry)Surface Characterisation and Functional Properties of Modified Diamond Electrodes
Lukas Stelzl (Biochemistry) Studying Macromolecular Transitions by NMR and Computer Simulations
Nicholas Torr (Physics)A Model-Independent Approach to Mixing in Prompt D0->Ks0H+H- Decays at LHCb
Patrick Valiquet (Music)‘The Digital is Everywhere’: Negotiating the Aesthetics of Digital Mediation in Montreal’s Electroacoustic and Sound Art Scenes
Jan Vonk (Mathematics)The Atkin Operator on Spaces of Overconvergent Modular Forms and Arithmetic Applications
Alexander Wain (Theology)Chinese Muslims and the Conversion of the Nusantara to Islam
Rasmus Wissmann (Mathematics)Expansion Methods for High-Dimensional PDEs in Finance
Xiaohe Zhang (Physics)A Novel Phonon-Scintillation Cryogenic Detector and Cabling Solution for Dark Matter Direct Detection
* indicates previous graduate of the College
The following were successful in other examinations:
Benjamin Abraham, MSc (C) Global Governance & DiplomacyCarlos Acero Casamitja, Master of Public Policy †Nana Acquah, MSc (C) Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition
Mette Ahlefeldt-Laurvig, MSt Modern British & European History †Ashish Airon, MSc (C) Computer ScienceMartina Aleksandraviciute, MSc (C) Modern Japanese StudiesNiklas Allamand Frijs-Madsen, Master of Public PolicyRita Alonaizan, MSc (C) Clinical EmbryologyRavi Amarnath, BCLAngela Anzola de Toro, Master of Public PolicySarah Rose Aquilina, MSt English (1900-present day)Hector Bagley, MSc (C) African StudiesCasper Beentjes, MSc (C) Mathematical Modelling & Scientific Computing †Tumi Belo, MSt US HistoryLuka Boeskens, MSc (C) Sociology †Sophie Bolding, MSc (C) Criminology & Criminal JusticeMichelle Brummer, MSc (C) Criminology & Criminal JusticeLisa Buziek, Diploma in Legal Studies †Jennifer Byram, MSc (C) Visual, Material & Museum AnthropologyLeah Carden, 2nd BM *Charles Cavness, Executive MBA (part-time) *Gayatri Chadha, BCLKa Hin Chan, MSc (C) Financial EconomicsGeorgina Chandler, MSc (C) Biodiversity, Conservation & ManagementMichael Collins, MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Philippa Collins, BCL †Christopher Copplestone, 2nd BM (Graduate Entry)Agnes Davis, MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Julie Dayot, MPhil Development Studies †Fraser Dick, MSc (C) Mathematics & Foundations of Computer ScienceMartin Donlon, PGCE Modern LanguagesAndrew Dooley, 2nd BMFlorence Duhamel, PGCE Modern LanguagesHajira Dambha, MSc (C) Evidence-Based Health Care (part-time)Mirjam Eggli, MSc (C) Contemporary Chinese StudiesNathan Eizenberg, MSc (C) Mathematical Modelling & Scientific ComputingMark Ekinde, MSc (C) Financial Economics †Freja Elbro, MSc (C) Mathematics & Foundations of Computer ScienceChristopher Elsby, MSc (C) Computer Science *Pamela Faber, MPhil Development StudiesKira Fischer, MSc (R) BiochemistryLiam Fleming, MSt Modern British & European History
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Oliver Fletcher, MSc (C) Latin American StudiesAlexandra Fottinger, 2nd BM (Graduate Entry)Ella Gunn, MSc (C) Refugee & Forced Migration StudiesJan Hagedorn, MPhil Oriental Studies (Islamic Studies & History) †Mads Hansen, MSc (C) Mathematical Modelling & Scientific ComputingImogen Harris, MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Mark Harrison, MSc (C) Learning & Teaching (part-time)Emily Rose Hay, MSc (C) Criminology & Criminal Justice †Matthias Hirtschulz, PGDipl Mathematical Finance (part-time)Ruth Ingamells, MSt World Literatures in EnglishJian Ping Jen, 2nd BM *Yasumune Kano, Master of Public PolicyArsalan Karim, MSc (C) Experimental Therapeutics (part-time)John Kenny, MPhil Politics (Comparative Government)Helen King, 2nd BM †Sergey Kravchenko, MSc (C) Computer ScienceReenen Kroukamp, MSc (C) Software & Systems Security (part-time)Mengwei Kuang, MPhil Comparative Social PolicyYasmin Kumi, MSc (C) African StudiesDeepa Kurup, MSc (C) Contemporary India †Francesco Lanzoni, MSc (C) Social Science of the InternetNicholas Lehn, MSc (C) Cognitive & Evolutionary AnthropologyIan Lim, MSc (C) Applied Statistics †Zhi Lu, MSc (C) Applied Statistics †Rachel Luney, PGCE ChemistryMaria Macaya Marten, MSt Modern LanguagesRoderick MacKenzie, MPhil EconomicsMusata Matei, PGDipl Diplomatic Studies †Robert McConnell, PGCE BiologyLaura McDonald, MSt Psychodynamic Practice (part-time)Laura McLaren, 2nd BM *Mmannyana Mokgachane, MSc (C) Evidence-Based Social Intervention & Policy EvaluationAngharad Monk, MSt English (1700-1830) †Marcel Monkenbusch, MPhil EconomicsMichael Museba, MSc (C) Water Science, Policy & ManagementValeriia Mutc, MSt Modern LanguagesBenjamin Myara, MSc (C) Mathematical & Computational FinanceIkuno Naka, MPhil Development Studies †Kirtirupa Nandi, MSc (C) Clinical EmbryologyShaun Ng, MSc (C) Financial Economics †Soni Nougtara MBA
Naoya Okamoto, MSc (C) Modern Japanese StudiesMegan O’Donnell, MPhil Oriental Studies (Modern Middle Eastern Studies) †Aikaterini Orfanidi, MJurisDaniel Ott, MSc (C) Medical AnthropologyPatrick Outhwaite, MSt Medieval StudiesOnur Ozlu, MSc (C) Sustainable Urban Development (part-time) †Aleksander Palikot, MSc (C) SociologyAaron Primero, MSc (C) Financial EconomicsJoanna Przewrocka, MSc (C) Experimental Therapeutics (part-time) †Jatuporn Puntree, MSc (R) Particle PhysicsKalyani Ramachandran, MPhil Visual, Material & Museum AnthropologyPadraig Rice, Master of Public PolicyMaria Rodriguez Arteaga MBARachel Ross, MSc (C) History of Science, Medicine & TechnologyIlze Saleniece, MSc (C) Education (Comparative & International Education)Haiya Sarwar, MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Niklas Schraml, MSc (C) Global Governance & Diplomacy †Maximilian Schulze, Diploma in Legal StudiesAaquib Shams MBA*Naima Sharif, PGCE ChemistryRebecca Sherriff, PGCE GeographyPatrick Simpson, 2nd BM *Yossi Singer, MSc (C) Neuroscience †Siddhartha Sinha, MSc (C) Software Engineering (part-time)Helen So, MSt Music (Musicology)Bethany Sparks, MSt English (1900-present day)Thu Tessier, Diploma in Legal StudiesCatherine Tyack, MSt Slavonic StudiesSheona Urquhart, PGCE PhysicsEfim Voinov, Executive MBA (part-time) *Jingjing Wang, MSc (C) Economics for DevelopmentWujing Wang, MSc (C) Education (Learning and Technology)Yonatan Weizman, MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Thom Wetzer, MSc (C) Law & Finance †John Williams, BCL †Jack Winfield, MSt Global & Imperial HistoryLingxi Zhang, MSc (C) Financial EconomicsHanning Zhu, MSc (C) Applied Statistics †
* indicates previous graduate of the College† indicates candidates adjudged worthy of distinction by the Examiners
Graduate ScholarsAlex Barbaro (Materials) Overseas ScholarAndrew Dean (English Language & Literature) Overseas ScholarBenjamin Abraham (Government) Light Senior ScholarCallum Kelly (History) Foundation College ScholarChun-Mann Chin (Chemistry) College Scholar (Sciences) and Foundation College ScholarEirion Slade (Medical Sciences) Glaxo ScholarFabio Anza (Physics) Wilfrid Knapp Scholar (Sciences)Frances Watson (Music) Allen Senior Music ScholarGeorgina Edwards (Modern Languages) Ghosh Graduate ScholarJakob Engel (Geography & the Environment) College Scholar (Arts)James Kwiecinski (Mathematics) Alan Tayler ScholarJingjing Wang (Government) Light Senior ScholarJoel Ward (Medical Sciences) Light Senior ScholarJohn Mittermeier (Geography & the Environment) Wilfrid Knapp Scholar (Arts)Juan Gutierrez Rodriguez (Government) Light Senior ScholarKinga Petrovai (Education) Light Senior ScholarLuca Bertinetto (Engineering Science) Light Senior ScholarMarketa Tomkova (MPLS Doctoral Training Centre) Light Senior ScholarMiles Huseyin (Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre) Foundation College Scholar 2015-2019Natalie Haley (MPLS Doctoral Training Centre) Leathersellers’ Company ScholarPernille Sogaard (Medical Sciences) College Scholar (Sciences)Peter Forsyth (Engineering Science) College Scholar (Sciences)Serkan Birgel (Geography & the Environment) Light Senior ScholarShan Chang (Social Policy & Social Intervention) Foundation College ScholarSophia Saller (Mathematics) Foundation College ScholarStephen Pates (Zoology) Brade-NaturalMotion Graduate ScholarThomas Clark (Modern Languages) Magellen ScholarZane Linde (English Language & Literature) College Scholar (Arts)
M E S S A G E S
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It’s almost a week before I next encounter anything
human, aside from a faded footprint. I’m at 2,592 metres,
the summit of Mt Nyangani and the highest point in
Zimbabwe. Caught crouched, supping from a can of
condensed milk, I hear a cough like the alarm call of a
buck. It hung in my ears for a second longer than usual
as I recognised that it was human, and found myself
panicked. A bemused guide came into view around a
boulder to find me standing, ready to hurl the milk can. I
can’t have looked normal, nor did I behave normally, being
too quiet at first then pouring conversation at the poor
bloke and his clients as my voice sparks up for the first
time in days. They leave and I have the mountain, and its
fog, to myself again.
My first week in the Nyanga area in the North-East
passed in a blur like falling down those steep sections;
going from box-fresh khakis to the feral milk-cradling
man atop Nyangani. For another month I continued
through the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, tracing
the border with Mozambique. The Afro-Montane forest
of Nyanga gave way to highveld and then the grand
quartzite peaks of Chimanimani. I passed through steep
sided valleys dense with bush, through pine forests, tea
plantations, farmland, and was afforded views that sat
me down in wonder. Often without a map I picked my
way across this landscape on the advice of locals, my
course buffeted by ridges, game tracks or the paths of
gold panners. I got used to collecting water, swimming
below waterfalls and cooking sadza and ration packs
on a tiny stove, so that the smell and sight of purple
meths would pique my appetite. That said, I was too
Don’t worry. The trails will always be obvious like
this” he beckons to our right at a gap between two
trees, seemingly free of footfall. “And a gaboon
viper will make a sound like....if you step on it.
God speed.”
“Cheers”
I set off, crashing a rhythm through the forest. New
khaki hat, new khaki shirt making me feel like an extra
in Carry on up the Jungle. I practically fall down the
steepest sections, halted occasionally by a deliberate
run-in with the upright of a trunk. My first evening
alone in Africa beside a fire, the chatter of nocturnal life
beyond the firelight’s reach punctuated with moments of
ringing silence.
Tom Gaisford (2013, Human Sciences), winner of the
2014 Wallace Watson award reminisces
on his trip to Zimbabwe
I passed
through steep
sided valleys
dense with
bush, through
pine forests,
tea plantations,
farm land, and
was afforded
views that sat
me down in
wonder.
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I returned home just in time for my 21st birthday, and
found myself on the other side of the same feeling I
had taking those first steps into the forest. I had walked
until sunset most days; gone so mad with thirst I almost
did a ‘Bear Grylls’; seen snakes, freshwater crabs,
monkeys and klippspringer; sat naked on top of the
highest mountain in Mozambique eating a boil-in-the-
bag chicken tikka massala with a tent peg and generally
been party to a surfeit of vibrant experience. The
Wallace Watson Award made this both financially, and
on a more fundamental level, imaginatively possible. I
enjoy armchair exploration as much as anyone, but never
would have taken the plunge: the Watsons pushed me
off, and I’m extraordinarily grateful. n
often subject to hunger, not having accounted for the
amount I would need to eat to stave it off. Stops to
acquire provisions in villages or towns along the way,
and in the houses of a number of kind people, consisted
of sleeping and gorging myself, often to the amusement
of hosts. Out in the highlands, on evenings where my
stomach wouldn’t let me get to sleep, I’d smoke one of
the cigarettes I’d brought to win favour with any border
guards or police, and get my head to the pillow while
the nicotine was still in effect.
The principal function of the cigarettes as a bartering tool,
thankfully, went largely untested. On the advice of a man
who lived in the area, I did once go and ask permission
from the police to walk along a particular section of the
border. The policeman I saw, after establishing that my
Shona was poor and I was British, took great delight in
refusing me this permission, instructing me to return to
the district headquarters a two day round trip away. As a
contingency, I’d been told to seek the ‘President’s Office’,
the shadier arm of policing in Zimbabwe. I found their
headquarters in a shed just down from the main police
station, and spent a while there in front of a huge portrait
of Mugabe, reassuring a big man that I wasn’t searching
for diamonds or gold, before moving on to the subject of
Oxford and finally golf, about which I know nothing. My
golf chat was evidently good enough, as it got me this
man’s number, to be called in the case of any trouble.
This did present itself briefly in the border town of Cashel,
where breakfast was rudely interrupted by a man with an
AK47 and his plain-clothed mate, but it was all resolved
and no porridge went to waste.
Tom Gaisford (2013, Human Sciences) went many days without
encountering human life during his time in Zimbabwe
I had walked
until sunset
most days;
gone so mad
with thirst I
almost did a
‘Bear Grylls’...
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that this year would mean a step up in the level of
competition and I didn’t know what I could expect of
myself. I had done a solid winter of training and was
looking forward to giving it my best and seeing where
in the world I could place myself. Unfortunately in Abu
Dhabi I felt like I couldn’t show what I was capable of,
although I did still come 33rd in a race where almost
every name in the triathlon world was present.
Next up was the WTS race in Cape Town, just two days
before the start of Trinity Term. Exam nerves were
kicking in and I wasn’t sure whether I’d made the right
call in deciding to race – but then again these races
are what I had trained for all winter. This race was an
Olympic distance race, which means a 1,500m swim,
40k bike and 10k run. The water in Cape Town was
cold, only 11 degrees, which meant that the swim was
shortened to 750m – definitely long enough in the cold
water. In the WTS, drafting is allowed during the bike
leg, which means that the aim of the swim is to exit
the water in the lead group. This time, I managed to
swim myself into that front pack! On this occasion my
pack had about 30 girls in it and knowing who to trust
is essential: luckily I came through unscathed, but a few
people had some near misses by misjudging corners
Alongside my undergraduate Masters in
Mathematics, I have been training hard to become
the best triathlete I can be and to raise my
standings in the ITU World Triathlon rankings.
After winning silver at the European Championships
and gold at the U23 World Triathlon Championships last
year, in 2015 I was given the opportunity to race the
best women in triathlon, in the World Triathlon Series
(WTS).
Having competed in the WTS Hamburg event in 2014,
I knew I was in for a steep learning curve, but I was
feeling excited for the first WTS race of 2015, which
was in Abu Dhabi at the end of Hilary. I was aware
Sophia Saller (2011, Mathematics) was the ITU World
U23 Triathlon champion in 2014, and
shares her experiences of stepping up
to senior level in 2015.
Exam nerves
were kicking
in and I wasn’t
sure whether
I’d made the
right call in
deciding to
race...
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 2 9
S T U D E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S
exam, a race that I had been dreaming of doing for a long
time and which has been taken off the Series in 2016. I
was devastated. Common sense told me not to compete,
but my instinct was to just to go for it. Revision was going
well and I was feeling confident about my exams, so I
made the choice – I was racing. What an amazing feeling
it was to race in Hyde Park – I had volunteered at the
Olympics here and I felt a large privilege to race on the
same course against many of the same athletes. The swim
was a battle, I didn’t think open water swimming could be
so much like fighting! I managed to exit the water with
the main pack just 30 seconds behind a lead group of
five. Despite our best efforts, we didn’t manage to close
that gap during the bike leg. My legs did not feel fresh on
the run, but I still managed my second top-ten finish of
the season, finishing 10th. The banks of the Serpentine
were lined with spectators, three deep on the run course
and many of my friends had come from Oxford to support
– the atmosphere was amazing.
My revision paid off and I have met the conditions for
my DPhil offer from St Catherine’s College. As tough
as it is to fit triathlon training into the busy schedule
of an Oxford student, all of the experiences I’ve been
allowed to have through my sport are making up for
every sacrifice that is made along the way. So far, I have
managed to raise my international triathlon ranking
to 28th and I am currently placed 19th in the WTS
series. I’m excited to see what the future has in store
for me and to what other exciting places my triathlon
career will take me – but I’m already looking forward to
returning to Catz for my DPhil. n
or coming too close to others. Then it was time to hit
the run and I felt like I was flying! After a few hundred
metres, I was leading the race with about 10 other girls
(including the Olympic Champion). I remember having
to shake my head at the thought of finishing in the
top 10! The run was hard and painful, but at the same
time I don’t think I have ever felt as much joy before.
I gave it my all and finished in fourth place! The trip
had definitely been worth it! I had just missed out on a
medal, but there was nothing that could have wiped the
smile off my face – all of the hard work over the past
months had been worth it and all the disappointment
about the race in Abu Dhabi was forgotten. I travelled
home more motivated than ever for revision.
Cape Town left me on a high and looking forward to
exams, but when my exam timetable was released there
was bad news. WTS London was the day before my first
Left: Sophia Saller (2011,
Mathematics) won the World
ITU U23 Triathlon in Edmonton
in 2014
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S T U D E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S
Last summer, I went to Inner Mongolia and Hebei
Province as part of a voluntary teaching initiative
organised through Tsinghua University in Beijing.
The ‘Summer Service and Learning Programme’ aims to
help increase the quality of teaching in less privileged
parts of rural China and inspire students to fulfil their
potential and reach higher education. The project
involved teaching English at four separate middle
schools across the country, travelling as part of a group
with nine other students, many of whom were from
China and Taiwan.
Arriving at the airport, I was immediately confronted
with a challenge which was not about to go away.
‘Qlng hùzhào!’. ‘Sorry, I don’t understand’. ‘Hùzhào.
Hùzhào!!’ (‘Passport. Passport!’). The airport, at least,
should surely be a place where English is understood.
Looking around, it became very apparent that my
assumption of my native tongue as a universal language
was naïve. After what felt like a mission just making my
way through Beijing airport and negotiating myself a
phone contract, I was pleased to be greeted by Aurora,
an enthusiastic engineering student from Tsinghua
University, who would lead our trip to four different
schools across the most rural regions of China over the
coming month. Having almost failed to make my way to
the airport exit, I was more than happy to discover that
her English was in fact fantastic – something I was to
become very grateful for in the coming weeks.
Meeting Aurora and the other students in the group as
stipulated at 7am the next morning, I was introduced to
the conventional form of student transport in Beijing:
the bicycle. Whilst two years of sprinting to lectures
back in Oxford should have stood me in good stead
for this, Beijing bicycle transport relies on a rather
different set of skills. Balance, rather than sheer leg
speed, happens to be the most useful trait when it
comes to elegantly situating oneself on the precariously
Katie Hickson (2012, Geography), winner of the
Emilie Harris Award, writes about her
trip to China to teach English.
Some of Katie Hickson’s students take time out to enjoy
themselves
Above: Katie came into contact
with huge numbers of children
during her time teaching in
China
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rickety frame which covers the rear bicycle wheel, whilst
dodging the traffic and small interweaving luggage
carts. Secretly rather pleased with myself for having
perfected the art of leaping off the back of a bicycle
when confronted with a nearby bus on day one, I was
greeted with a new challenge when we came to depart
our cosy university campus to catch the bus northwards
out of the city. I came out of the dormitory the next
morning to be confronted with 10 students (and
accompanying suitcases), 5 bicycles, and 2 additional
luggage bags, to be told that we had better hurry
because we had to catch a bus to Inner Mongolia in
20 minutes. The station was about 5 miles away. With
wheelie suitcases duct-taped to the racks of overloaded
bicycles, we started the 200-mile journey North in a
rather rickety fashion.
Having been saved by a pitying motorised luggage
cart driver, we did eventually find ourselves leaving
the traffic-laden hustle that was Beijing city and
immersed in the rather beautiful, remote, and desolate
countryside of the southern stretches of Inner
Mongolia, eventually reaching Duolun County, where
we were to be based for the next 10 days, before
moving south to Wuqiang. My time in Inner Mongolia
was a whirlwind of small yellow-uniformed students,
enthusiastic faces, everlasting expanses of grasslands
and repetitions of ‘Hello, ma name ees …. Wha is Yu
naaaame.’, with precisely the same intonations from
every student and teacher. Despite our language
differences, the teachers were the most welcoming and
friendly people, continuously treating us to extravagant
Chinese dishes until our bellies were stuffed. I soon
learned to express that I could not eat any more in
Chinese. My continual efforts to pick up Mandarin also
proved to be a reliable source of entertainment, with
attempts to correctly enunciate the four different tones
inevitably unsuccessful despite my best efforts. I now
have real admiration for anyone who has mastered the
language.
In a way, however, this struggle also made me realise
the importance of language learning, and I tried to
get this across to the students in my English lessons.
Initially rather overwhelmed by the sheer size of the
classes (which often exceeded 70 in number) I soon
came to learn that having teachers from outside the
immediate area was in fact a rarity for these students
and they were more than willing to learn. This provided
a fantastic opportunity to focus on some of the
areas which were typically less well addressed in the
Chinese school syllabus; namely speaking English, since
this element is in fact entirely lacking from county
examinations and is thus generally ignored. In addition
to basic grammar and pronunciation, I tried to introduce
as much variety and cultural insight into the lessons
as possible, with lessons ranging from ‘British Royals’
to ‘Improvised Role Play’ and ‘British Festivals’. Seeing
the students progress throughout our time there was
immensely rewarding.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Emilie
Harris Foundation for their very generous contribution
which made this opportunity possible. n
Below: Katie made the most
of experiencing the Chinese
culture
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 2 / 3 23 2 / C H R I S T I A N A M O S
It was dark and cold, as it was 5am in February.
Lucjan Kaliniecki, Rachel Frame and myself (team
name ‘Catz me if you can’), dragged ourselves to the
OUSU building along with many other teams from
around Oxford.
It was the start of 36 hours of terrifying ‘Jailbreak’
adventure, the aim being to get as far away as possible
from Oxford within the timeframe, with a crucial
catch– you can’t spend anything on transport. The idea
behind Jailbreak is to get sponsored and raise money
for charity. We were fundraising for Oxford RAG, whose
donations are given to specially chosen charities.
We sent dozens of emails in advance, as the rules
stipulate you can arrange transport beforehand, if
it is free by the company. After hitting a brick wall
with every transport company under the sun, from
Megabus to Ukraine Airlines, we tried getting in touch
with Catz alumni. With the generous intercession of
the Master, Professor Roger Ainsworth, we contacted
EasyJet Captain, Nick Curson (1984, Engineering), who
Christian Amos Christian Amos (2013, History) writes about his involvement
with Jailbreak, where his team ‘Catz me if you can’ had 36
hours to get as far away from St Catz as possible without using
paid transport, with the aim of raising money for Oxford RAG.
Christian Amos (2013, History)
and his Jailbreak team ahead
of their adventure
S T U D E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S
kindly offered us free tickets to a range of destinations,
including Moscow, Tenerife and Athens. Moscow, while
great for distance, would require getting a very short-
notice Russian visa. I made an over-the-phone attempt
to get us free visas from the Russian Embassy in London,
but needless to say, that was not going to materialise.
Tenerife was further than Athens, but we felt flying to
a remote island limited our ability to fulfil the spirit of
adventure and travel crucial to Jailbreak. Athens was our
best bet. To our pleasant surprise, Oxford Bus Company
furnished the three of us with free tickets to the airport.
We set off on our adventure dressed in neon-toned
orange t-shirts and with GPS trackers for Gloucester
Green. After some delirious early-morning conversation,
we rolled out of the bus and into the airport. We tried
to hustle some trans-continental airlines for tickets, but
failed abysmally. Once in Athens, we found our way to
Piraeus Harbour. Our lack of Greek led to an awkward
conversation in pidgin English with a middle-aged
Athenian, but with the help of a local police officer we
found our way to the ferries which crossed the Aegean.
S T U D E N T P E R S P E C T I V E S
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 3 3
With much pleading, we convinced the ferry company
that our cause was good enough to warrant free passage
to the island of Kos, near the Turkish coastline. It was
an uncomfortable night’s sleep over some chairs, but
the spectacular view of the Dodecanese when we
drifted into Kos was adequate compensation. Getting
off at Kos involved waiting for a huge plate metal door
to be lowered, in a scene worryingly reminiscent of the
beginning of James Cameron’s Avatar.
Kos is a beautiful island, serene and relaxed, but we
had less than 12 hours left on the clock, and we were
determined to reach Turkey by taking the ferry to Bodrum.
At the harbour, prices ranged enormously, so we raised
as much as we could and prayed it would be enough. In
Kos, we had to find a way of communicating our message
and raising money for our voyage. I contacted a friend
at Hertford College who’s half-Cypriot, and he was able
to give us the appropriate Greek sentences, which we
wrote on a whiteboard we’d taken with us – signalling
our desperate plight to Kos citizens. We spent a couple
of hours getting minimal donations, concerned we might
have to accept Kos as our final Jailbreak destination. We
eventually found more luck going into shops and cafes.
We poked our heads into most small shops and cafes on
the island, asking for donations to be placed in a little hat
we’d bought. Within about 6 hours, we raised over €70,
enough to buy ferry tickets to Bodrum. We took a few
photos of the island, whose people had been generous
enough to trust our ‘philanthropikos’, and left for Turkey.
When we got to Bodrum, our time was almost up. We
looked for ways of getting further afield, and using
remaining ferry money, we took a coach to Izmir. Our 36
hours elapsed on the coach, and we were proud to have
raised £1,600 for Oxford RAG.
Nick had kindly arranged for us to get a return flight
from Athens, and we found we had 2 nights in Izmir
before flying back to Greece. It was a bizarre break from
Oxford life in Turkey’s third largest city, taking in the
local culture and history. We had to fly to Athens via
Istanbul, but unfortunately, it was snowing heavily in
Istanbul. Our flight from Izmir landed, but all outbound
flights were grounded until the evening. We confronted
the airline, explaining how we needed to get to Athens
by the evening to catch our flight back to London. Much
to our surprise, our plea was met with the offer of three
free tickets from Istanbul to London, meaning we had
half a day in Istanbul in the snow – beautiful but slightly
treacherous. The slush and icy-wind made it a memorable
plunge. We did a whistle-stop tour of the Hagia Sophia
and the Blue Mosque, got pursued by an overly-zealous
carpet-salesman and left. Istanbul behind us, we finally
arrived in Stansted and went back to Oxford.
We had an unforgettable experience – and I don’t say
that lightly. My crazy few days in the middle of Hilary
during my first year at Oxford will undoubtedly stay with
me; they were some of the best days of that year. We
raised money for charity and had a lot of fun. What was
less fun, however, was being several days behind on
essays. One tutor was not convinced that visiting Hagia
Sophia was a more direct way of studying the early
medieval world than doing the essay!! n
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A L U M N I N E W S
Sarah McCready (2008, History)
on her appearance on BBC One’s Masterchef
Everyone in the office looks at me with a
bemused expression on their faces as my
eyes nervously dart back and forth from my
laptop screen to my desk drawer, which has
been vibrating at an increasingly alarming
frequency for the last 30 minutes.
Last night on Masterchef, BBC One’s famous
amateur cooking competition, the episode had
concluded with a preview of the next night’s
action; for 30 seconds or so my face had been
on screen, giggling nervously at John Torode
and awkwardly suggesting my preferred tactic
for success would be to ply my food with so
much golden tequila he would have no choice
but to propel me into the next round. The cat is
now officially out of the bag after three months
of MI5 levels of secrecy, and thus my social
media is imploding. My Facebook wall is heaving
under the weight of all these new posts, and
I’m amassing dozens of new Twitter followers
every hour. I’m overwhelmed, which is why
my IPhone has been relegated to my drawer,
muffled by scrap paper and rich tea biscuits.
In that moment, it occurs to me that what
started as pure curiosity on a slow Friday
afternoon at work had somehow turned into
something that had the potential to alter the
direction of my life. When I had completed my
application only five months previously, it had
not been with the intention of forging a new
career in food. Yes, I had always watched the
show, and yes I was something of a super-fan,
but I was more intrigued to see how I would
fare in the application process and whether
or not my food was truly as impressive as my
(rather biased) friends had led me to believe.
Finishing the competition as a Semi-Finalist,
and only just missing the Final by one rather
spectacularly undercooked piece of Salmon,
would not have been fathomable to me at
those early stages.
Succeeding in something that is unequivocally
an achievement, and one that so many people
in our country would recognise, gives you
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A L U M N I N E W S
a sense of accomplishment and pride that I
can only compare to receiving my initial offer
from St Catherine’s College. It certainly made
three months of 5am starts, juggled around
my rather demanding day job, worthwhile. It
also definitely took the sting out of the mild
public humiliation and severe online trolling
that is sadly now inevitable with something
of this nature. Being able to say I catered for
the Red Arrows’ 50th anniversary banquet,
or that I successfully created a tasting menu
for a group of people who insure their ever
so discerning taste buds (including the master
tea-blender at Tetley), are the types of
experiences that no one expects to collect at
the age of 24. It goes without saying that I
am equally grateful and gob-smacked.
The best thing is that the journey is far from
over. I am now in a fortunate enough position
that my day job – property development for
The Dorchester Group – is entwining with
my foodie ambitions. Having delivered
community facilities, including shops,
schools and public open space, as part of
the developments that I work on, the natural
evolution has been for me to develop the
restaurant portfolio for the group. Having
secured the necessary investment, we are
all crossing our fingers that our first venture
together, a complex of country eateries on
the edge of the Cotswolds, will be ready
to open its doors to the public in 2017.
Although this sounds like a long time away,
as we have chosen to refurbish not one, but
two, heritage buildings (‘go big or go home’
they tell me), this long-stop date is already
somewhat ambitious. Being able to build my
very own menu from scratch, in addition to
having creative control over the branding
and interiors, has put me in a perpetual
state of giddiness and I am now practically
frothing at the mouth to get onto site and
start building.
Gregg Wallace starts every episode of
Masterchef by affirming that ‘cooking
doesn’t get tougher than this’. However,
from what I am currently learning about the
realities of being a commercial restaurateur,
I would have to respectfully disagree with Mr
Wallace. Still, I’m very much looking forward
to getting my teeth stuck in (pardon the
pun) to the challenges ahead! n
Sarah McCready on the set of Masterchef
When I had completed
my application only five
months previously, it
had not been with the
intention of forging a
new career in food.
M E S S A G E S
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A L U M N I N E W S
Mark Simpson (2008, Music)
on his career and latest operatic work, Pleasure.
A virtuoso clarinettist, composer, and
one of Britain’s rising stars in music,
Mark has barely had a quiet moment
since graduating from Oxford in 2011.
He is a regular figure in concert halls and
in the media, and the past three years
has seen a flurry of new commissions,
appointments and performances
knocking at his door. At the time of
writing, Mark is living in Bordeaux and
writing his first opera, Pleasure, which
will premiere in Leeds in April 2016.
Mark came to St Catz as an already
accomplished young clarinettist and composer.
In 2006, at the age of 17, he was awarded
BBC Young Musician and BBC Proms/Guardian
Young Composer of the Year, the first to win
both competitions. He immersed himself in
music life at Oxford as a performer, composer
and conductor. Mark had many memorable
experiences at St Catz, and recalls with
particular fondness performing at an intimate
late night concert in the Catz Music House and
travelling to Singapore with the Catz Quintet.
After Oxford, Mark moved to London to study
at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and
was presented with a number of opportunities
in 2012 to springboard his music career. He
became an artist with the Young Classical
Artists Trust and was named a BBC Radio 3
New Generation Artist. Mark also received a
commission from the BBC for the Last Night
of the Proms in 2012 (for which he composed
the orchestral piece Sparks) and performed
a Mirror-Fragment with the BBC Symphony
Orchestra at the Barbican. His attributes much
of his more recent success to building on these
early experiences and opportunities.
Mark says that a lot of these opportunities
have come as a surprise, but the seeds of
Mark Simpson (2008, Music) has enjoyed a blossoming musical career since leaving St Catz and has been a regular
in concert halls and in the media
He immersed himself in
music life at Oxford as a
performer, composer and
conductor. Mark had many
memorable experiences at
St Catz...
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A L U M N I N E W S
his recent success were sown early on.The
idea for his upcoming opera Pleasure came
from his experiences as a young 18-year-old
living in Berlin, struggling with the limelight
he experienced as BBC Young Musician and
Composer of the Year and reflecting on the
ways that people use pleasure to escape
their own lives. The Jerwood Opera Writing
Fellowship has allowed Mark and British
writer, poet and librettist Melanie Challenger
to work on this project. Pleasure will premiere
at Opera North in Leeds on 28 April 2016,
with further performances in Liverpool,
Aldeburgh and London.
Mark also has a strong relationship with the
BBC Philharmonic, and is the orchestra’s
current Composer in Association. During his
tenure, Mark will compose three new scores
and the BBC Philharmonic will also programme
his existing orchestral works. The BBC
Philharmonic recently performed Mark’s work
The Immortal at the Manchester International
Festival.
The Immortal delves into the Late Victorian
world of séances, as told by John Gray’s book
The Immortalization Commission, and is the
biggest and best piece that Mark has written.
Its premiere in July 2015 at the Manchester
International Festival received critical
acclaim, with Richard Morrison for The Times
describing the piece as ‘the most thrilling new
choral work [that he has] heard for years’.
The work, which touches on concepts such
as love, soul and immortality, is the most
challenging project that Mark has worked on.
It is also his proudest achievement to date.
Mark speaks candidly about the pressures
and difficulties of life as a composer, and
the constant flitting between despair and
bravado. He loves his craft, but it also comes
with many challenges. Mark draws inspiration
from literature and poetry, and hopes to write
a musical and to explore electronic media in
the future. nMark’s opera Pleasure will premiere in Leeds in April 2016
3 8 / M A X I N E W I L L I A M S
A L U M N I N E W S
Maxine Williams (1992, Law)
on her role as Facebook’s Global Director of Diversity
The more diversity we
have in our experiences,
skills and backgrounds, the
better we are at solving
complex problems...
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A L U M N I N E W S
Not one to shy away from a challenge,
Maxine Williams has been at the helm of
improving Facebook’s workforce diversity
since joining the social network giant as
Global Director of Diversity in 2013. It is no
secret that there is still a lot of work to be
done in relation to diversity in the high-tech
sector, particularly as gender and ethnic
diversity present particular challenges for
Silicon Valley. At Facebook, Maxine develops
strategies to find, grow and keep the best
and brightest talent from all backgrounds.
On her time at St Catherine’s College…
The meaning that St. Catz had for me was
the connection that I felt with a long line of
scholars from the Caribbean of little financial
means, but great ambition. St. Catherine’s
Society (as it was earlier in the last century)
had opened the way for Eric Williams (former
Prime Minister of Trinidad) and Grantley
Adams (former Prime Minister of Barbados)
to study at Oxford University when there was
little access to the established colleges for
poor Black people. Every day that I was there,
I walked around with a sense of pride to be
continuing in their paths.
On life at Oxford… I enjoyed the feeling of
being equally connected to East and West by
virtue of both geographical proximity to Asia,
Africa, Europe, America and the Caribbean
and the international student body who
literally came from all over the world.
On leadership… Having grown up in
the incredibly cosmopolitan country that
is Trinidad and Tobago, I developed an
appreciation for differences and the power
of diversity. That appreciation has remained
at my core as I lead with the belief that we
achieve our best when we leverage all that
is brought to the table through different
perspectives and backgrounds.
On her background and career… At Facebook
we are trying to do things that have never
been done before – to connect the entire
world and to do so in a way that makes us all
better through our openness and connection.
The more diversity we have in our experiences,
skills and backgrounds, the better we are at
solving complex problems because we can
see things from different angles. I bring all
of me – my past careers and skills – to every
decision and interaction. The fact that there is
so much diversity in my background has been
an advantage time and again.
On her work at Facebook… I was attracted
to a company whose mission was in sync
with my own – to make the world more open
and connected, for the better. My proudest
achievement has been deepening our
connection to traditionally under-represented
communities of Latinos, Blacks, women and
many others. The challenge is to create equal
opportunities for these groups who have been
locked out over hundreds of years of history and
to do so as fast as we can. The type of equality
we want to see has never been achieved before
but we are up for the challenge! n
4 0 / M a r t i n H e i p e r t z
A L U M N I N E W S
Martin Heipertz (1997, PPE),
on his fascination with the Euro
Martin Heipertz (1997, PPE), Head of the
European Policy Division of the Federal
Ministry of Finance in Berlin and Honorary
Member of the SCR reflects on how the
Oxford experience helped shape his views
and prepared him for his career.
Whilst at St. Catherine’s College, my
fascination with the Euro began. I was reading
PPE during a time when monetary union
became reality, at least on the continent,
and when the European Central Bank (ECB)
was taking up operations in my hometown of
Frankfurt. I started to wonder how national
fiscal policies would need to be organised in
order to accommodate an integrated monetary
policy and I sought to understand the
interactions between the monetary and fiscal
dimensions of this undertaking. Help came
from excellent Economics tutorials at Catz, as
well as from several magnificent lecture series
offered by the University. In Politics, I was
assigned tutors at Christ Church and Magdalen,
digging into German economic policy and
the role of the Bundesbank in the design of
monetary union. Gordon Brown’s famous five
tests on whether Britain should join the euro
was an exam topic during my Finals. In my
essay, I remember weighing the pros and cons
from a perspective of economics, inconclusively
so, and then arguing that this decision was a
purely political one, albeit clouted in the terms
of economics. A few years later, I actually
found myself within the ECB, as an economist,
preaching fiscal discipline to reticent Member
States – obviously without much success.
By 2007, you could virtually feel in the air
that a crisis was coming our way. The origins
had nothing to do with monetary union.
Unprecedented laxity by the Greenspan Fed had
fuelled a bubble in the US real-estate market
to which European banks were found to be
heavily exposed. The bursting of this bubble
in 2007 led to the most serious stock market
crash and subsequent banking crisis in post-war
financial history. This in turn pushed several
members of the euro zone beyond the brink
of insolvency, first of all Greece in early 2010.
The question as to whether one could allow
Greece to fail without serious or potentially
disastrous consequences for the euro zone
itself, is the hardest I have so far encountered
in my career. It reminded me of the PPE papers
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 4 1
N E W S I N B R I E F
on the Cold War which
I had read at Oxford:
uncertainty and the
essence of decision.
At the time, it was
thought that the risks
of contagion and
fatal knock-on effects
would outweigh the arguments of moral hazard
that were militating against the bail-out.
People were also over-optimistic about the
chances of success for an IMF-led programme
of adjustment and reform. We hence embarked
upon a strategy of ‘solidarity to solidarity’.
Contagion occurred nevertheless, and events
ensued very quickly, spreading from Ireland via
Portugal and Spain to Cyprus.
In the autumn of 2012, I sat on a Catz alumni
panel discussing the crisis. I accepted a bet
proposed by one of my co-panellist who
predicted the demise of the euro by 2013. I
bet against. The reason why I won this bet
is probably that, seen from London, one
generally underestimates, first, the political
will within the euro zone to make the
common currency survive and, second, the
degree to which our
strategy of ‘solidarity
for solidarity’
has actually
been effective
after all in every
programme country,
except Greece.
The others have successfully undergone
indeed tremendous adjustment efforts,
sustained by a whole set of newly formed
and improved European institutions, rules
and procedures, ranging from the European
Stability Mechanism to the introduction of
the so-called ‘banking union’. We have been
able to advance European integration farther
and faster than at any moment in history. This
achievement should not be overshadowed
by the ongoing convulsions in Greece,
momentous as they are, yet amounting to a
mere two percent of the euro zone’s GDP.
Great Britain, meanwhile, is pondering
whether or not to remain part of the EU.
From my point of view, this is the most
strategic issue at the current juncture. It is
now widely accepted that the euro zone will
have to pursue further integration in order
to institutionally consolidate the degree of
stabilisation achieved so far. The formation
of a politically, structurally and economically
more homogenous bloc on the continent (and
Ireland) will have to be situated within the
wider EU as part of an overall arrangement
with which also Great Britain and the other
non-participating member states should
be comfortable. This debate will be at the
fore over the coming months and I have
the honour of working on this dossier in
Berlin, where we see it as one of our primary
strategic goals to have the UK remain ‘in’.
At any moment of my path so far in the
service of Europe, I could have hoped for no
better academic preparation than the one
I received at St. Catherine’s College almost
two decades ago. Nova et vetera – this was
my best possible point of departure. Moving
on and looking back, my gratitude and
recognition grow year by year. I am always
glad to be back for a visit at the College
whenever I come to the UK. I am proud to be
part of this outstanding family of academic
achievement and personal amiability. n
I accepted a bet proposed
by one of my co-panelists
who predicted the demise
of the euro by 2013.
M E S S A G E S
4 2 / S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5
Alexander Campkin (2002, Music) received
a major commission to compose a piece for
the finale of the Colourscape Music Festival
called Imagined Cities, a one-hour immersive
theatre piece. In the world’s largest walk-in
structure of colour and light, this cross-media
performance fills the entire structure and
brings to life the many journeys that can be
taken through it. Imagined Cities is a thought
provoking reflection on the explorations of
Venetian traveller Marco Polo, and features
live musicians alongside electro-acoustic
music. Following a successful premiere, four
more performances took place in 2015.
Ben Willbond (1991, Modern Languages)
co-wrote and co-starred in the film Bill. He
had always wanted to get into film and when
he spoke with the director, Rich Bracewell,
about five years ago, he proposed the idea
of doing a film with the rest of the Horrible
Histories team. He was keen to keep the
six of them together, as he felt it is not
often you get such a good gang of comic
actors working together for so long (Horrible
Histories ran for 6 years). Ben started working
on a new TV show (Yonderland for SKY 1)
News in Briefand then got together with Larry Rickard
(from Horrible Histories and Yonderland) and
they started to prepare the story. The pair
approached BBC Films, who funded the script
process and then the BFI came on board.
Ben commented, ‘It was touch and go for a
while, and I now have a much greater and
deeper understanding of how hard it is to
make independent British film. We shot last
year, in February and March, predominantly
in Yorkshire. It was, without doubt, the best
filming and acting experience I have had to
date. I got to work with Helen McCrory and
her husband Damian Lewis who were both
spectacular.’
Ben wanted to stress that Bill it is an
independent British comedy, not a Horrible
Histories film, although he admits that
he cannot blame the press for assuming
otherwise.
Ben added: ‘I remember saying to Bernard
Hughes when we were at Catz that I would
call him as soon as I had a feature film ready
to go, so he could compose the music. I
kept that promise and was delighted that he
agreed to help. He’s composed two fantastic
pieces for the film that capture the mood
perfectly.’
Bernard Hughes (1992, Music) wrote some
of the songs and background music for Bill.
The film was released in cinemas on 18th
September and was in the top 10 for two
weeks. The soundtrack is available online.
Merrill Leffler (1969, English) received the
Achievement Award from the Capital Area
Chapter of the Association of Jewish Libraries,
at the AJL annual conference in Washington,
D.C. The award recognises Merrill’s
contribution to the Jewish literary scene. He is
the founder publisher of Dryad Press, which
has published many literary books (www.
dryadpress.com) and he also has several
books of poetry to his name, most recently
Mark the Music (Dryad Press, 2012).
Sam Forsdike (2003, English) directed The
Stranger on the Bridge, a documentary aired
by Channel 4, in May 2015. The documentary,
also known as Finding Mike, follows the story
of Jonny Benjamin’s search for the man who
talked him down from the edge of London’s
Waterloo Bridge, in 2008. The Finding
Mike campaign was launched by Postcard
Productions, the film production company
co-founded by Sam, and Rethink Mental
M E S S A G E S
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 4 3
Illness, supported by the hashtag #findmike,
and reaching over 300 million people
worldwide. Sam’s career in media began in
2006 when he won the Nick Young Award
at St Catz. Each year a student from Catz is
offered a three-month internship with the
Arts and Features department at ITV, as part
of the award. It was set up in 1982 by
the family of Nick Young, a former
Catz student and ITV employee,
who died tragically in a road
accident.
Zoe De Toledo (2010,
Experimental Psychology)
competed in the Rowing World
Championships this year, coxing
the Great Britain Women’s Eight. In
the Varese and Lucerne regattas of the
World Rowing Cup, the crew placed third,
leading up to the World Championships in
September. The Women’s Eight again came
third in their heat, before winning the
repechage to qualify for the final. Racing
against the USA, New Zealand, Canada,
Russia, and the Netherlands, the Great
Britain crew finished the course in a time of
6:10.11, placing fourth. n
Ben Willabond (1991, Modern Languages) on the left,
co-starring with Damian Lewis in ‘Bill’
4 4 / C O L L E G E E V E N T S
C O L L E G E E V E N T S
College Events 2016Saturday 27 February Rowing Society AGM and Dinner
Saturday 5 March Richard Parish Dinner for Modern Linguists*
Thursday 10 March Wallace Watson Award Lecture
Saturday 12 March Parents’ & Freshers’ Lunch*
Saturday 12 March Degree Day
Friday 8-Saturday 9 April Oxford Alumni Weekend in North America: Washington DC
Friday 15 April Oxford University Inter-Collegiate Golf Tournament, Frilford Heath Golf Club
Saturday 30 April Peter Franklin Dinner for Musicians*
Saturday 7 May Degree Day
Saturday 4 June Degree Day
Tuesday 7 June London Party
Saturday 18 June Parents’ and Second-Years’ Garden Party*
Saturday 25 June Gaudy for 1983-1992 Matriculands*
Saturday 2 July Family Day
Saturday 16 July Degree Day
Friday 22 July Degree Day
Saturday 23 July Degree Day
Friday 29 July Degree Day
Saturday 30 July Degree Day
Saturday 17 September Degree Day
Saturday 5 November Degree Day
*Invitations for these events will be sent out nearer the time.
To book your place on any of these events, please contact the Development Office.
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1865 281 596
Check the College website www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk, and www.facebook.com/stcatz for details.
London Party 2016Tuesday 7 June 2016, 6.30-8.30pm
THE LEATHERSELLERS’ HALL
6 St. Helen’s Place, Bishopsgate, London, EC3
The Venue for this year’s London Party will be
at The Leathersellers’ Company. Invitations will
be sent out to those living in London and the
Home Counties. If you live outside this area,
but would still like to attend, please contact
the Development Office directly.
T: +44 1865 281 596
We have always had a
strong relationship with the
Leathersellers’ Company and
we are delighted that we have
their kind permission to hold
this year’s London Party in their
newly refurbished Hall. It was
splendid to see so many of our
matriculands at last year’s event
and I can only hope for the
same again this spring.
The Master, Professor Roger Ainsworth
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 4 5S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 4 5
C O L L E G E E V E N T S
The College Time Capsule
The College Enigmatist, Chris Maslanka (1973,
Physics), offers the next clue, in a series of
50, to the contents of the time capsule buried
underneath St Catherine’s College . . .
The clues so far:
1. Two thirds of my number is one and a half
times what I am.
2. Pooh in 1927, true of us today?
3. Do they belong to longevity?
4. The first 6000 flowers.
5. A good hiding...
6. Six of one and half a dozen of the other.
7. Initially he found like an insect…
8. Bovine comes to river
9. To each his own
10. Do men gather grapes of thorns…
11. List: Order half a dozen pears. Ordered.
12. Twelve characters alternate around a wheel.
We are delighted to be hosting our biennial Family
Day in College in July 2016. The event will consist
of a range of entertainment for all ages, including
afternoon tea, face-painting, soft play and a College
treasure hunt.
We would be delighted to see many of our alumni back
in College with their families.
Invitations will be sent out nearer the time.
All family members are welcome for what promises to
be a fun-filled and relaxing afternoon.
Family Day 2016Saturday, 2 July 2016
12–4pm, St Catherine’s College
Update Your Email AddressWe are increasingly sending event invitations via email. It would therefore be much appreciated if you could ensure that we have an up-to-date email address on file for you. You can update your details using the enclosed update form, or by visiting the Alumni & Development section of our website www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/update-your-contact-details
If you do not have an email address, please ensure that we have your up-to-date postal address and we will ensure that you receive relevant invitations this way.
Catz Fellows, Professor Bill Fulford and
Professor Ashok Handa, are leading a new
initiative that brings individual values to
the fore in health and social care.
Health care has always been guided by values.
Some values, such as caring and compassion,
are universal and tend to go unnoticed in the
day-to-day setting of clinical decision-making.
It is only when values come into conflict that
we become aware of their presence. As more
treatment and care decisions are being made
in non-life-or-death scenarios, a greater range
of values must be balanced in every case. For
example, a patient may refuse treatment due
to undesirable side-effects, even though such
treatment may be highly effective.
Values-based practice is an approach to
working with complex and conflicting values
in health care. It is the basis for the newly
established Collaborating Centre for Values-
based Practice in Health and Social Care. Based
at St Catherine’s College and led by Professors
Bill Fulford (Director) and Ashok Handa (Co-
Director), the Centre aims to support the
development of values-based practice through
shared learning. The Centre is supported by
a project-orientated management team, a
diverse consortium of project partners and an
esteemed seven-member Advisory Board. The
Master, Professor Roger Ainsworth, whose
support and guidance has been crucial in
establishing the Centre at St Catz, leads the
Advisory Board as Chair.
Values-based practice emerged out of Bill’s
work in value theory at the start of the
millennium and is driven by science. Scientific
advances have greatly increased choice in
treatment and care. With different treatment
options accommodating different values,
clinical decision-making must respond to
increasing levels of complexity and tension.
Healthcare professionals can no longer rely
solely on a framework of ethical rules and
regulations that determine what the right
outcome is, as modern healthcare decisions
require nuanced consideration of complex
and conflicting values. Values-based practice
therefore seeks to provide practical skills
and tools that enable individual values to
Bill Fulford and Ashok Handa on the
newly established Collaborating Centre for Values-based
Practice in Health and Social Care.
be identified and considered. As a process-
orientated, rather than outcomes-orientated
approach, values-based practice is also a
partner to evidence-based practice. Combined,
these approaches link scientific evidence
with the unique values of individual patients
to support balanced clinical judgement in
individual cases.
Originating in mental health and social care,
values-based practice is spreading to other
areas of healthcare. The Centre’s long-
term vision is to see values-based practice
embedded alongside evidence-based practice,
in health and social care internationally, and
a particular aim is to support the extension
of values-based approaches to other areas
of medicine. A key figure in this expansion is
Ashok, who has spearheaded the movement
of values-based practice into hospital
medicine and is leading the programme on
values-based surgical care. The spread of
values-based practice has also been helped
by recent developments in the law. Notably,
the new legal standard for informed consent
is values-based. It is patient-centred, requiring
4 6 / B I L L F U L F O R D A N D A S H O K H A N D A
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
that the patient have sufficient understanding
and information to make a choice between
available options, according to his or her
values.
At the core of the Centre’s activities is its
website (www.valuesbasedpractice.org),
which was launched in August this year
and underpins the work of the Centre. The
website contains information about the Centre
and its activities, as well as resources for all
stakeholders in the clinical decision-making
process, ranging from clinicians and patients,
to managers and policymakers. The inclusive
and collaborative nature of values-based
practice recognises clinicians; patients and
carers; managers; and policymakers as equal
partners in the treatment decision. In addition
to the website, the Centre also provides
opportunities for Advanced Studies Seminars
to be hosted at St Catz.
The skills-based and practical focus of the
Centre aligns with St Catz’s ethos as an
outward-looking college and its commitment
to the application of ideas to the real
world. Being based at Catz has also fostered
innovation and interdisciplinary collaborations.
A number of other Catz Fellows are involved
with the Centre’s work, including Fulford
Fellow in Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive
Science and Fulford Clarendon Associate
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 4 7
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
Professor Philipp Koralus, whose work in
philosophy reflects the Centre’s commitment
to theoretical and practical research in the
field, and Fellow and Tutor in History of Art
Gervase Rosser, with his work on the role of
aesthetics in mental health.
The Centre aims to play a central role in the
growth of values-based practice globally,
supporting the open development of values-
based practice across all areas of health and
social care and serving as a centre of gravity
for the field, bringing together individuals
and organisations working on different
aspects of values-based practice from around
the world. n
Ashok Handa, Roger Ainsworth and Bill Fulford
The Centre’s long-term
vision is to see
values-based practice
embedded alongside
evidence-based practice...
4 8 / K I R S T E N S H E P H E R D - B A R R
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
other beings? The way organisms relate to
one another and to their environment is at the
core of both theatre and evolution. I was also
drawn to what might seem to be the counter-
intuitive element of the encounter between
theatre and evolution: how do you stage, in a
couple of hours, a process that in reality takes
aeons of time, and is barely perceptible in
‘real time’? From the 1840s onwards, theatre
has attempted to do this in a wide variety of
theatrical forms and in a markedly contrarian
spirit. Far from simply reflecting evolutionary
concepts, theatre has tended to question and
sometimes even transform them.
Even before Lyell’s Principles of Geology
appeared in the 1830s (Darwin was eagerly
reading them as he voyaged on the Beagle),
the question of the age of the earth had been
thoroughly explored and theatrical techniques
used to show it: people flocked to see vast
panoramas and hear public lectures bringing
geology to life. In fact, they encountered
Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett
came out of my long-standing interest in how
theatre has engaged with scientific ideas
over the centuries, a subject that I explored
in Science on Stage: From Doctor Faustus to
Copenhagen (2006). In that book, I looked
at a range of scientific fields, including
physics, medicine, cosmology, mathematics,
and evolution, and covered about 400 years,
though focusing mostly on the contemporary
‘science play’— for example, Tom Stoppard’s
Arcadia, Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen, Shelagh
Stephenson’s An Experiment with an Air-Pump,
and Caryl Churchill’s A Number. Although I
enjoyed researching such a wide range of
scientific areas and plays, it was evolution that I
most wanted to keep investigating.
Theatre and evolution have deep affinities;
they ask the same fundamental questions.
What does it mean to be human? What is
the experience of seeing (and being seen),
of knowing (and being known), of relating to
Dr Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Fellow and Tutor in English at St Catz and Professor in English and Theatre Studies at Oxford on her new book Theatre and Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett.
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 4 9
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
a panoply of evolutionary ideas through all
kinds of performance, ranging from street
theatre, missing link shows, circus, and human
anomaly displays, to the “legitimate” theatre
of Henrik Ibsen, Henry Arthur Jones, George
Bernard Shaw, Harley Granville Barker, Susan
Glaspell, Sophie Treadwell, Elizabeth Robins
right through to the present day. One of
the major differences between these earlier
playwrights (all writing in the late 19th/
early 20th centuries) and today’s dramatists
engaging with evolution is that concepts
like heredity, extinction, and environment
are treated completely differently, as our
understanding of genetics (and epigenetics),
climate change impact, and endangered species
has deepened. The Epilogue of my book—
’Staging the Anthropocene’—looks at how
such recent developments are being staged by
contemporary playwrights.
One of the reasons I wrote Theatre and
Evolution from Ibsen to Beckett was that, while
there were numerous books looking at Darwin
in relation to the novel and poetry, theatre’s
engagement with evolution had hardly been
explored. Furthermore, the emphasis in these
studies seemed to be on Darwin, yet the more I
looked into stagings of evolutionary ideas, the
more I realized that playwrights and directors
were interested in non-Darwinian thinkers and
concepts too. What I had initially thought of as
Billington, and Professor
of Neuroscience, Morten
Kringelbach, speaking about
the book from very different
perspectives.
My explorations of evolution
and theatre are part of a
broader interest in how
science becomes culturally
embedded. How we
represent science on
stage in particular
seems to intrigue
people, as shown by
the steady stream
of new ‘science
plays’— just this year
we have already
had Tom Stoppard’s
The Hard Problem at the National Theatre
and Tom Morton-Smith’s Oppenheimer at the
Royal Shakespeare Company Swan Theatre. I
am also intrigued by the evolving concept of
interdisciplinarity. How we ‘do’ interdisciplinary
work is a question that I’m pursuing in my next
project. In the meantime, I have another book
coming out in January 2016, called Modern
Drama: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford
University Press), that serves as a guide to the
major theatrical developments and key plays
and playwrights since the 1880s. n
“Darwin and the Dramatists”
turned out to be far more
complex and interesting
than that: not only Darwin
but also Haeckel, Lamarck,
de Vries, Bateson, Huxley
and Spencer are all a part
of this sprawling theatrical
landscape. And some of
Darwin’s discarded ideas
also find surprising theatrical
currency (his “wedge”
theory, for instance, and
his mistaken theory about
Glen Roy). But perhaps the biggest surprise
was Samuel Beckett, whose seeming dismissal
of Darwin early on, ‘I never read such badly
written cat lap,’ belies a deep, lasting, and
innovative engagement with evolutionary ideas
in all of his plays.
I hope that my work will open up new areas of
investigation, in taking further the discoveries I
have made about new or neglected playwrights
and works such as James A. Herne, ‘the
American Ibsen’; Elizabeth Robins; Elizabeth
Baker; and Hubert Henry Davies. Although
it’s still too early for reviews, the book has
been warmly received here in Oxford, with
a special ‘Book at Lunchtime’ panel in May
featuring Goldsmith’s Professor of English,
Laura Marcus, Guardian theatre critic, Michael
5 0 / S H I M O N W H I T E S O N A N D J E S S I C A G O O D M A N
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
When I first started
studying artificial
intelligence, I was
motivated by the
belief that the
inadequacy of the
human brain was a
major obstacle to
overcoming many
of the challenges faced by society. The
mysteries of science, the logistical challenges
of industry and commerce, and even complex
political and social problems, all defy analysis
because, at the end of the day, that analysis
is done by humans, whose brains are poorly
suited to the task. Augmenting these brains
with artificial intelligence was thus essential
to human progress.
At the time, this seemed a remote vision.
I never expected that, only fifteen years
later, it would be so close to reality. Artificial
intelligence is now all around us, often in
ways we don’t even realise. I think many
people are unaware of how much artificial
intelligence goes on behind the scenes, for
example, when they purchase something on
the Internet: product recommenders at the
website, robots at the warehouse, planners
setting the lorry’s route, etc.
As artificial intelligence continues to augment
our own intelligence, the interaction
between human and computer plays an
increasingly important role. I’ve seen this
phenomenon repeatedly in my own research.
For example, for several years I’ve been
working on algorithms that optimise search
engines on-line, by exploiting the user’s
click behaviour to estimate which documents
satisfy her information need. In addition to the
mathematical and statistical challenges, this
requires thinking hard about the user herself
and how she interacts with a list of documents.
Shimon Whiteson joined St Catz as an Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in Computer Science in October
2015. Prior to this, he spent eight years as an Assistant and then an
Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam.
Similarly, I’m currently coordinating a
European project about telepresence robots,
which function like Skype on a mobile robot.
The goal of the project is to develop a new
system that automates low-level behaviour
like navigation, orientation, eye contact, etc.
so that the user of the system can focus on
the conversation in which she is participating.
Of course, this poses many algorithmic and
engineering challenges but it also requires
ascertaining what kind of behaviour people
expect from a telepresence robot, so that
the new system will not just be intelligent in
the conventional sense, but socially intelligent
as well. n
I was motivated by the
belief that the inadequacy
of the human brain was a
major obstacle...
Shimeon Whiteson
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 5 1
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
My research centres around authorial self-
fashioning and literary posterity in eighteenth-
century France. My current project, entitled
‘Literary Monuments’, examines the textual
commemoration of the author in plays and
dialogues set in the afterlife. By analysing
how these works draw on and re-imagine an
individual’s reputation in life, I think about
how they present the specific authors they
discuss, and construct the social value of
literature and authors in society. The project
is also a way into thinking about larger
questions, like the origins of literary celebrity,
new forms of mourning and memorialisation
at the turn of the century, and even why we
study the texts that we do in modern schools
and universities. It, therefore, includes all the
elements I most enjoy about studying early
modern literature: lots of texts to analyse
closely, a contemporary socio-historical angle,
and a link to important questions we are still
asking about authors and literature today. As
part of this project, I am producing a critical
edition of Olympe de Gouges’ Mirabeau aux
Champs-Elysées (1791) and other related texts,
which will provide a preliminary glimpse of the
commemorative genre. This edition will appear
with MHRA / Phoenix in 2017.
Educated at a state school in Cardiff, I completed
my undergraduate and graduate studies at
Worcester College, Oxford, where I gained my
doctorate in 2013. My thesis, entitled ‘La gloire
et le malentendu: Goldoni and the Comédie-
Italienne, 1760-93’, examined the status of
the playwright in eighteenth-century Paris,
with a particular focus on the archival history
of the Italian troupe in the city, and the career
strategies of one of its most famous authors,
Carlo Goldoni. This manuscript is in the final
stages of being reworked for publication.
I teach French language and French literature
from a variety periods, with a focus on the
Jessica Goodman joined St Catz as an Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in French in October 2015.
Prior to this, she spent two years as a Junior Research Fellow at
Clare College, Cambridge.
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. I have
a particular interest in widening access and in
the practical exploration of theatre through
performance, and I really look forward to be
being involved in these aspects of life at Catz. n
Jessica Goodman
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
5 2 / G E R V A S E R O S S E R
I grew up in Australia with an acute sense
of distance from Europe and of the curious
mediations through which the past of a
physically remote continent existed within the
culture that I knew. This may have been the
cause of an instinctive sympathy with the way
that medieval people imagined the cosmos, and
the meanings that they assigned to it. Much
of their information came in fragments from
the half-forgotten civilisations of the ancient
world, and was read in the light of their own
authoritative traditions combined with newly
acquired texts from the Muslim world. It was
then reinterpreted for contemporary readers
through a remarkably evocative literature of
marvels, wars and travels across the globe,
into purgatory beneath the earth and through
the heavenly spheres. My doctoral work, and
later my monograph Roger Bacon and the
Defence of Christendom (Cambridge University
Press, 2012), explored, among other things,
the functioning of this complex world-view
through the work of the English Franciscan,
Roger Bacon (ca. 1214-1292).
Bacon is important in the history of
western science for his insistence that Latin
Christendom needed to improve its systems
of learning, abandoning conventional wisdom
for more rigorous scholarly methods such
as the science ‘of experience’ (scientia
experimentalis). Yet, his analysis was
prompted by his fearful sense of where his
society stood in the larger arc of salvation
history – at the end of time, darkened by sin
and corruption of every kind, and beleaguered
by enemies of the faith – and of its moral
responsibility for the souls of all humanity.
He explained how philosophy, mathematics,
astronomy, magic, alchemy and other branches
of learning could be brought to bear on these
problems.
Amanda Power joined St Catz as an Associate Professor and Tutorial Fellow in History in October 2015. She was a Junior
Research Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, before spending the
last decade as Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer, in Medieval History at the
University of Sheffield.
I am now working on a study of the early
English Franciscans, partly as influential
participants in the kingdom’s affairs during
the century of Magna Carta, and partly as
representatives of wider currents of European
thought and endeavour. I am particularly
interested in the volatile relationship between
religion and power in the medieval world:
the way that authority and dissent alike drew
on the language of faith; and how public
rationality and social order were delineated in
this context. n
I am particularly
interested in the volatile
relationship between
religion and power in
the medieval world...
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 5 3
C A T Z R E S E A R C H
Amanda Power
5 4 / O B I T U A R I E S
G A Z E T T E
JOHN
SIMOPOULOS
Founding Fellow
of St Catherine’s
College, Emeritus
Fellow, Dean
of Degrees and
Philosopher died
on 4 March 2015
aged ninety-one.
John Simopoulos
liked to tell a
story which shed light on both himself
and the role he played in the life of St
Catherine’s College, Oxford, for 60 years.
As the sort of now-extinct don who thought
that the pastoral aspect of his duties were
as important as the pedagogic, he would
visit his new philosophy students on their
first night in college to check all was well.
Late one evening in 1973, he knocked on
a freshman’s door and found him sitting
puzzled on the only large piece of furniture
in the room, an austere plywood divan.
Where, asked young Peter Mandelson, was
he expected to sleep? With something of a
gleam in his eye, Simopoulos bent down and
slid out the bed concealed beneath.
Obituaries 2015 Simopoulos was unconventional, not least
in not minding who heard such tales about
him. ‘If you learn that I’ve been arrested
for this, that and the other,’ he told a
fellow academic, ‘it’ll all be true.’ If it was
only rumour that he gave tutorials while
in the bath, certainly it was true that his
idiosyncrasies led to complicated relations
with others.
One Master of the College was subjected
to terrifying correspondence when,
unaccountably, Simopoulos’s favoured
brand of mineral water was not served
at high table. Yet such episodes only
inspired affection in his pupils, mirrored by
his devotion to them and to St Catz. He
expected loyalty, and could be disappointed
in people, but he was ever ready to help
those in need.
He had no public reputation as a philosopher,
since, he published little. Indeed, he was
more widely known as the author of a paper
in the British Journal of Venereal Diseases on
the treatment of non-specific urethritis. For
his view of teaching — drawing on his Greek
heritage — was that what was important
was what could be learnt by discussion. If
someone dropped into his rooms, they would
find Simopoulos, and frequently his students,
talking with other Oxford philosophers of the
time. These included Gilbert Ryle, Freddie
Ayer, Iris Murdoch and Isaiah Berlin.
Yet, though he had few doubts about the
quality of his mind, he was surprisingly humble
about the utility of what it might yield.
Moreover, he believed that it was for individuals
to work out their own solutions to problems,
rather than to rely on those presented by
others. For that reason, he preferred not to set
down his own ideas in print.
Perhaps accordingly, his intellectual energy
found outlets in other enthusiasms,
notably technology. Chief among these was
telephones. So expert did he become on
their workings that it was said that during
the Cold War, he and a Russian-speaking don
were able to manipulate calls on the Soviet
network to suggest that they emanated from
the Kremlin. They used this deception to
improve the lot of several dissidents.
Simopoulos also rigged up a monitor to
detect when a student was breaking the
rules by reversing the charges to the callbox
in College. He would then hare across the
quadrangle to confront the offender, though
it was characteristic of him that he would
merely rebuke rather than report them.
He spent holidays working at Rome’s
telephone exchange — he spoke Italian —
and was employed by plutocratic Greeks
and the Getty family to install their private
lines. The operation of these was fearsomely
complicated, and their owners risked being
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 5 5
G A Z E T T E
berated by Simopoulos if they did not prove
up to the task.
When the College acquired one of the first
word-processors, he employed his knowledge
of logic to program it — far beyond its
intended use — as an increasingly gargantuan
database. It was typical of him that he should
create a world to which only he had the key.
He was most put out by the advent of
personal computers, which enabled a
mere secretary to perform his functions.
Simopoulos removed the word-processor
and its yards of cables to his flat near Baker
Street in London, where he had grown up in
the 1930s. He shared it for many years with
his former nanny, and even after her death it
remained almost unmodernised.
Like him, his parents’ world had been urbane,
cosmopolitan and backwards-looking. John
Simopoulos was born in 1923, the year
that Constantinople — where his father was
then Greece’s high commissioner — changed
its name to Istanbul. His mother was both
Scottish and Jewish.
When his father became ambassador
in London, the young Simopoulos was
sent to Stowe (where he knew Peregrine
Worsthorne). He then read Greats at
Magdalen College, Oxford, and taught Latin
at Christ Church Cathedral Choir School before
working after the war in Italy for Oxfam.
In 1953, he became one of the four founding
members of staff of the St Catherine’s
Society, which gained collegiate status eight
years later. It was then much associated
with the coming men of the age, rather than
with Simopoulos’s more reactionary cast of
mind. He did not always trouble to hide his
scorn for anyone who might put cream on
their grapefruit, and clashed with St Catz’s
first Master, the historian Alan Bullock, when
in 1957 the latter invited Arne Jacobsen to
design its architecture in an uncompromisingly
contemporary style.
‘We weren’t consulted,’ recalled Simopoulos
in 1993, criticising the decision that year
to give the buildings grade I listed status.
‘Everyone licked Alan’s arse at the time. He
was very impressed by Jacobsen, even let him
design the ghastly cutlery ... I said I thought
they looked like a DIY abortion kit by Charles
Addams.’
He enjoyed pointing out that the Danish
electrical fittings prescribed by Jacobsen did
not meet UK standards. But 35 years on, he
did concede that the College’s gardens were
‘the saving grace. They’ve been done by one
of the Fellows.’
His contributions to civilising St Catz included
organising reading parties and dinners
intended to promote better understanding
of the work of other fellows. These were
pleasures which stemmed from his own
tastes. His hangdog looks belied a warmth
and a delight in repartee and whimsy — his
party piece was to recite The Ancient Mariner
— which won him many friends, among
them Murdoch and her husband John Bayley.
Simopoulos was the dedicatee of The Bell
(1958), Murdoch’s novel about byzantine
personal relationships.
Although he informally adopted Chris
Maslanka, the deviser of puzzles, as his heir,
the College and its students perhaps stood
in for that part usually played in life by love.
Even after he retired in 1988, he continued
until his nineties to be its Dean of Degrees,
shepherding students through the formal
ceremonies of matriculation and graduation.
He would meticulously check the French of
the menus for the lunches that followed
and admonish graduands that if they did not
swear loudly enough the Latin oath Do fidem
on collecting their degree, it would leave
them depressed.
Elegance of speech was important to him.
He was not pompous, but one English tutor
accused him of being pedantic. ‘At least I
use the language with sufficient precision for
you to say that of me,’ he responded, ‘which
I doubt is true in your case.’ His delight in
words also found expression in composing
and collecting scatological clerihews and
limericks.
G A Z E T T E
5 6 / O B I T U A R I E S
One of his favourites ran:
There once was a fellow called Rex,
who’d a diminutive organ of sex.
When had up for exposure,
he replied with composure
De minimis non curat lex (The law does not
concern itself with trivialities).
Reproduced by kind permission of The Times.
JOHN BAYLEY CBE, Emeritus Fellow of St
Catherine’s has died aged 89. John Bayley
came to St Catherine’s as the first Warton
Professor of English Literature in 1974 after
twenty years as a hugely influential English
tutor at New College, where his pupils
included Dennis Potter, John Fuller and A.N.
Wilson. He never regretted the move, loving
the informality of St Catherine’s, which gave
his many eccentricities the freest possible
rein. His rooms looked over the water garden
where he enjoyed watching the visiting heron
scattering the ducks; from here he had ample
time to read, write and exercise the strong
vein of speculative fantasy that made him
such an original and engaging literary critic.
John was latterly more widely known to the
world as the husband of Iris Murdoch and
her assiduous carer during her descent into
Alzheimer’s disease. But at St Catherine’s,
despite his resolutely unassuming manner,
there was never any mistaking John’s star
quality, which came with the added bonus of
Iris’s quietly watchful and almost unnervingly
benign presence at College events.
In many ways, St Catherine’s was an
appropriate home for this most unlikely
Professor, who could not have been less
preoccupied by the then controversial issues
of syllabus reform or faculty organisation. The
College already harboured the almost equally
eccentric friend of his youth, Dennis Horgan,
with whom, before either was married, he
had been in the habit of taking long walks on
summer mornings. On one occasion walking
back from Minster Lovell they were picked
up by a BT engineer on his way to work in
Paradise Square and all three had a lively
discussion about the poems of A E Housman.
As he dropped them by the station, they were
bemused to have a large bar of Cadbury’s
Bourneville pressed on them. It was only
years later, after they had recounted this
episode to their younger colleague Michael
Gearin-Tosh, that Michael was able to draw
the obvious conclusion that the engineer with
literary leanings had mistaken them for poetic
tramps in the tradition of WH Davies.
John, Dennis and Michael were, above all else,
passionate readers who could communicate
to their pupils a lasting and unfussy delight
in literature both as a way of engaging with
the world and, simultaneously, as a way of
surpassing it. All three were masters of that
elusive literary accomplishment - an ear for
tone. John was also a fluent and original
writer who could be relied upon to upend the
conventional idée reçue with a spontaneous
instinct for what was fresh and authentic.
He wrote as he spoke, discursively, yet the
apparently rambling progress of his thoughts
would be marshalled to detonate a series of
small revelations. His pupils remember his
highest term of encouragement: a ruminative
‘Quite so…’ trailing away with a dying fall
and sometimes accompanied by a Cheshire
cat smile. Conversely there was no steelier
rebuttal than his casually dropped ‘You may
well be right’.
John and Rachel Trickett, later the
redoubtable Principal of St Hugh’s, had been
Lord David Cecil’s favourite pupils; Rachel had
nurtured and protected Michael’s budding
talents as a troubled young man, and he
was a favourite of John and Iris. All of them
represented a tide in Oxford English which
had a huge influence over the lives and tastes
of their pupils, but was ebbing in the face of
the increasing professionalization of graduate
studies and scholarly disciplines promoted by
Helen Gardner and John Carey. And also at St
Catherine’s was one of Iris’s – and John’s –
oldest friends John Simopoulos, to whom she
had dedicated The Bell.
John Bayley was born in 1925 in Lahore where
his father, an admirer of Kipling, was a Major
in the Grenadier Guards. John always said his
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S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 5 7
childhood was happy. Although his parents
had been notably undemonstrative, he ‘didn’t
mind a bit’ as ‘almost all my life took place in
books.’ He thought himself fortunate that at
Eton ‘there was no formal teaching of English
in those happier days, but lots of time to
read.’ He then served in his father’s regiment,
daydreaming his way through Walter Scott
and in 1947 came up to Oxford to read
English under Lord David Cecil. In 1955 he
joined John Buxton as English Tutor at New
College. In 1956, to his own and everyone
else’s surprise, he married Iris Murdoch, then
philosophy tutor at St Anne’s, who that year
published her second novel, aptly titled The
Flight from the Enchanter. When Iris sat him
down shortly before their wedding in order
to confess her penchant for mittel-European
intellectual monsters, John reacted with the
whimsical phlegm that was to be the bedrock
of the marriage, remarking that ‘Unknown
figures arose before me like the procession of
kings in Macbeth, seeming to regard me with
grave curiosity as they passed by.’
While John admired Iris’s novels – and would
contribute to them certain passages to do
with cooking or the functioning of motor
cars – theirs was never a particularly egg –
head union and their devotion was based
on child-like jokes and a mutual conviviality.
He would remark that although he knew he
was married to one of the most intelligent
women in Britain, the marriage actually felt
‘more like two animals in a burrow.’ Neither
partner overshadowed the other, and
Iris’s distinguished career was matched by
John’s impressively lucid yet subtle works of
criticism from the ground-breaking early The
Characters of Love (1960) to Shakespeare
and Tragedy (1981). Along the way came
marvellous monographs on Tolstoy (1968),
Pushkin (1971), Hardy (1978) and The Short
Story (1988). John’s strength as a critic
was not so much his appreciation of formal
structures, though he had that too, but his
probing understanding of the secret places
– often endearingly banal – that informed
a writer’s personality. After his retirement
in 1992 he continued to write extensively
in the public prints for a wide and general
audience. His aesthetic was predominantly
reactionary, but so disarmingly expressed
and wittily at odds with mainstream critical
convention that this was not always
appreciated. Some of his best teases of
contemporary theory were collected in
The Order of Battle at Trafalgar (1987),
but history arguably had the last laugh
when Terry Eagleton was appointed as his
successor to the Warton Chair.
If John was miffed by this, the guards
officer in him never showed it. When his
favourite pupil A.N Wilson committed critical
parricide in his book Iris Murdoch as I Knew
Her (2003) describing John’s attitude to Iris
as that of ‘a screaming hate-filled child’,
John said ‘the thing you must understand
is that there is absolutely nothing personal
about Andrew’s disloyalty.’ That these
reactions came from the core of the man is
demonstrated by a striking sentence from his
account of Iris’s decline:
There is a certain comic irony – happily,
not darkly comic – that after more than
forty years of taking marriage for granted,
marriage has decided it is tired of this, and
is taking a hand in the game.
After Iris’s death in 1999 John married Audi
Villars, the widow of Borys, and one of their
oldest friends. We saw him less in College
after that, but John hated change and Audi
provided the gift of continuity that had
always been a strong thread through his life.
Kindly contributed by Fram Dinshaw
BARRI BISHOP
(1954, English)
died peacefully at
home on 24 June
2015. He was 82.
Barri grew up in
Sussex and was a
keen sportsman at
Hastings Grammar
School. During his
National Service he
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5 8 / O B I T U A R I E S
volunteered to do the Forces Language Course
in order to learn Russian. He spent a year at
Cambridge University, took A-level Russian
after six months and finally took the Civil
Service Interpreters’ examination, becoming an
interpreter during the Cold War. He retained an
interest in Russia and the language all his life.
Barri read English at Oxford and was President
of the St Catz JCR during 1956-57.
He and I did our PGCE together at the
Department of Education in Norham Gardens.
We both started our teaching careers in Essex,
Barri at Westcliff High School for Boys. He
moved on to become Head of English, first
at Queen Mary’s School, Basingstoke and
later at the Sixth Form Queen Mary’s College.
From scrum-half he scored many tries for
Basingstoke Rugby Club and he also played
club cricket regularly.
He married Margaret in 1970 and they moved
to Leicestershire in 1973, when he took up
an appointment as Deputy Head at Ashby
de la Zouch Grammar School, where, I am
told, ‘He became a much respected and
well-liked colleague.’ Apparently, a visit to
his study was usually a pleasant experience
if you did not mind the smell of pipe smoke!
He was particularly noted as being kind and
supportive to new staff. A former colleague
says, ‘He was an authoritative figure but
always with a twinkle in his eye.’ He played a
full part in school activities including a visit to
the Soviet Union where his Russian-speaking
prowess proved invaluable.
Barri gave over 30 years’ service to Ashby de
la Zouch (Hastings) Rotary Club having been
a founder member in 1981. He was President
of the Club in 1992, the year he retired from
teaching. I am told he was active and highly
regarded in Rotary and a regular member of
the club’s golfing fraternity. Barri also enjoyed
singing and he was a long-time member of
Atherstone Choral Society, and sang with
them, as a bass, in Austria and Germany.
He had always enjoyed singing: a former
colleague at St Catz tells me that, ‘Barri was
well known for singing Welsh hymns loudly in
his digs, to the delight of the other inmates.’
After he retired, Barri did a degree in Russian
Studies at Nottingham University. His interest
in rugby continued with frequent visits to
watch Leicester Tigers. After attending the St
Catz Gaudy in 1997, Barri and I met annually
with several other Catz alumni for a few days
of nostalgia and renewed friendship. He was
a lovely guy and we shall miss him.
Barri is survived by his wife Margaret, his two
children and five grandchildren.
Kindly contributed by Tony Elder
(1953 Modern History)
CHRISTOPHER
EDWARD FREEMAN
(1963, Modern
History), the son
of Robert and
Agnes Freeman, and
brother of Robert
and Patricia, died on
13 December 2014.
Christopher joined
Ampleforth College,
North Yorkshire, from St Martin’s Ampleforth
prep school in January 1958. His steady
progress through the school led to the sixth
form scholarship and a place at St Catherine’s
College, Oxford, having picked up his colours
for athletics on the way.
Christopher played the organ in the Parish
Church of St Wilfrid in Ribchester, and was
organist and choir master for many years. He
played the organ at Ampleforth College for
services, and for four years at most services
at the Catholic Chaplaincy in Oxford where,
one disastrous day when Cardinal Heenan was
attending to preside over Mass, he overslept
– thereafter all Saturday nights had to be
spent at the Chaplaincy!
He was a District Judge in Manchester from
1987, following a successful career as a
Solicitor in Witney and Blackburn. He then
became a Recorder, or Deputy Circuit Judge,
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S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 5 9
in 1996. He moved to Burnley County Court in
2005 and retired in 2011, but continued to sit
as a Deputy District Judge and Recorder until
he became ill at the end of April 2014.
Christopher was a prominent member of
Ribchester Amateur Theatrical Society for
many years, mainly as a musical director
but also as a pantomime dame, composer,
performer, and latterly as a scriptwriter of
two pantomimes which he co-directed.
Christopher’s first marriage in 1967 proved
unsatisfactory on both sides and in 1992 he
married Judith Carter, acquiring a loving and
devoted wife, two wonderful step-daughters,
and four fantastic grandchildren.
He died peacefully.
GEOFFREY
NORMAN
SWORDER (1948,
Chemistry)
came up to St
Catherine’s from
St Edward’s,
Oxford. He led a
quiet life at the
College, apart
from his great love of rowing and the not
insignificant achievement of six bumps in
the Summer Eights of 1949. A re-enactment
of this was celebrated every 10 years until
the last one in 2009, where five surviving
members of the original crew turned out for
a paddle over the old course. A dinner the
night before in College slowed matters down
even further! He continued to support the
Catz Boat Club for the rest of his life.
Geoffrey left Catz to join ICI at their heavy
chemical plant in Northwich, subsequent
postings were to Magadi in Kenya and the
Pyrethrum Company in Nakuru.
After leaving Kenya in 1968, Geoffrey re-
joined ICI and worked for their Management
Services division in Wilmslow, he was an early
pioneer of ‘encounter’ groups, and a disciple
of Meredith Belvin; these were the early
years of a sea change in British management
practice and style.
He retired early in 1985 to live in Devon,
and became an ardent supporter of country
life, with over 30 years in the Devon branch
of the Campaign to Protect Rural England,
and more than 20 as a parish councillor. His
private passions were his garden, shooting
and reading.
He died peacefully at home on 20 May, and
leaves behind his wife Mary, sons Michael,
David and four grandsons.
JOHN RANKIN
MORRIS (1948,
Modern Languages)
lived the life of
a quintessential
European
businessman and
could be mistaken for
a German, French or Italian native owing to his
remarkable gift for languages. Nevertheless,
he was always a proud Welshman.
He was born in 1930 in Treherbert in the
valleys. As his father’s career as a bank
manager progressed, the family moved
to Tonypandy and then Newport, where
he met his future wife Peggie Williams. A
somewhat shy and studious boy, he went up
to St Catherine’s in 1948 to read French and
German. He remained immensely proud of his
time at Oxford.
John graduated in 1951 and then joined the
army. He was drafted for Korea, but at the last
minute was sent instead to the Joint School
of Slavonic Languages in Sussex Gardens to
learn Russian. He qualified as an interpreter
and became a commissioned officer in the
Intelligence Corps. The days in London are
remembered fondly by both John and Peggie
as being full of fun and laughter.
By this time they had married and John
accepted an offer of a job with Cooper
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6 0 / O B I T U A R I E S
McDougall and Robertson in animal health
products. This took him first to Paris, where
he worked with Michael Lis, the Polish
wartime saboteur, and then to the Belgian
Congo (now DRC). Thus began an obscure
episode of sheepdipping which has passed
into the family mythology to fascinate and
bemuse his grandchildren.
His wife and baby son joined him in
Johannesburg in 1958, where they spent four
very happy years, and the family grew with
the birth of two daughters. John worked hard
but played hard too, and had warm memories
of that time.
However, tensions in South Africa led to the
young family leaving. Once back in the UK,
John worked in marketing for Wilkinson Sword
and Penguin Books. During this time his third
daughter was born. In 1967 he joined Glaxo,
replacing an MD known as ‘Fag-Ash Fred’ at
the helm of Murphy Chemicals. In 1974 he
was asked to establish a raw pharmaceuticals
trading company in mainland Europe and in
1975 he took his family and a small team of
colleagues out to Switzerland. The business,
Sefton, was a great success. He settled in the
Canton of Zug and set up his own company,
Biotrade. Throughout his working life he
travelled extensively, the number of long-
haul flights he clocked up being recorded
by mountains of complimentary wash bags.
He also embraced wholeheartedly the
business lunch culture and his catchphrase in
restaurants became ‘man kennt mich hier’ (‘I
am known here’).
In his latter years John continued to
be involved in many areas of emerging
pharmaceutical and financial ventures, and
was well-known for his experience and
conviviality.
John’s health deteriorated with the diagnosis
of diabetes and heart problems. It frustrated
him to be losing control, and he became
increasingly immobile. After a stroke in
November 2014 and a series of falls, he died
peacefully in April 2015. His ashes have been
divided between Oberägeri, his last home,
and Wales, his first.
John may have wanted his legacy to be the
businesses he established, but he will be
remembered by his family as an exuberant
pianist and singer, a great dancer, humourist,
bon viveur and pontificator extraordinaire! His
great love of languages continues through all
his children, his three nephews and at least
one of his grandchildren.
John is survived by his wife, three of his
children and six grandchildren.
Kindly contributed by Sarah Cuthill
KEITH SYMONS
(1942, History)
passed away in
December 2014
aged ninety.
Keith attended
Dartford Grammar
School in Kent and
in 1942 he was
awarded an Open
Exhibition to St Catherine’s, in those days the
St Catherine’s Society, based in St Aldates.
The scholarship was no mean feat, as Keith
had to juggle work for Oxford entrance and
Higher Certificate exams with evening and
weekend service in both the Officer Training
Corps and the Home Guard.
At the end of his first year at Oxford, during
which he rowed for the 1st VIII and played
an active role in the Oxford University Naval
Division, Keith was called up and joined the
RNVR. He took part in the first wave of the
D-Day landings, commanding three landing
craft carrying troops of the Green Howards
ashore at Gold Beach. He went on to make
a total of 14 Channel crossings aged 21,
then moved to Coastal Forces, where he was
involved in high-risk Motor Torpedo Boat
attacks across the North Sea. In 1945, aged
twenty-one, he captained a Minesweeper,
clearing mines in the Malacca Straits.
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In 1946, Keith was demobilised and returned
to Oxford to finish his history degree. He
admitted in later years that returning to
undergraduate life, with its restrictions and
curfews, felt very strange after war service.
However, it was also an extremely happy and
fulfilled time in his life, during which Keith
threw himself into college life, becoming
secretary of the college History Society and
Boat Club and again rowing in the Ist VIII,
winning an oar in the 1947-48 summer
eights. He formed lifelong friendships, which
were rekindled until very recently at regular
informal reunions and at St Catherine’s College
Gaudies.
Immediately after graduating in 1948, Keith
took a post as House Tutor and assistant
history master at the Perse School in
Cambridge, where he formed the Naval
Section of the Combined Cadet Force. He went
on to become a House Master, supported
by his wife Jean, whom he married in 1954.
In 1966, he was appointed headmaster of
Ryde School, moving with Jean and his two
daughters to the Isle of Wight.
Under Keith’s leadership Ryde School more
than doubled in size, became co-educational
and was admitted to the Headmasters’
Conference. But perhaps his most enduring
legacy was the affection in which he was
held by former colleagues and pupils of both
schools at which he taught, many of whom
visited him regularly during his thirty years
of happy and busy retirement in Wilton, near
Salisbury.
As one of his Perse pupils wrote in the school
magazine this summer:
‘Keith Symons will be remembered with
affection as an inspirational man of strong
family commitment, with a firm belief in the
development of the individual; for his wisdom,
courtesy, kindness and enthusiasm for all that
is good in life – not to mention his sartorial
elegance and mischievous sense of humour.’
At his Service of Thanksgiving in March this
year, over 300 family, friends and former
pupils, came together to celebrate his life and
work.
Kindly contributed by Joanna Symons
KENNETH FRAZER
(1968, Music)
was born on 15th
February 1948 in
Northern Ireland,
and studied at
Oxford University
and the Royal
College of Music.
In 1976, he went
to Portugal to become head cellist at the
Gulbenkian Orchestra, where he stayed until
1979. He later became soloist for many
years at the São Carlos Orchestra. Whilst in
Portugal, he began to show interest in the
viol, having attended many courses oriented
by Jordi Savall.
As a cellist and viol player he took part
in various chamber music groups, among
which were the Segréis de Lisboa and the
renaissance group Concerto Atlântico, with
whom he participated in various recordings.
He was a founding member of the Arcus
Quartet, later renamed Atalaya Quartet, which
performed regularly from 1987. Other Old
Music groups he took part in were Flores de
Música and La Batalla, both directed by Pedro
Caldeira Cabral.
Kenneth Frazer was co-responsible for the
cello section of the São Carlos Orchestra. He
passed away on 22 May 2011, victim of a
road accident. Kenneth Frazer is survived by
his wife and two children.
THE REVD MALCOLM PURDY (1954, Politics,
Philosophy & Economics) died at home on
2 January 2015, at the age of 84. Malcolm
was called to the Ministry in 1958, and lived
out his Christian principles to the end. His
only church, Newall Green Baptist Church in
Wythenshawe, was not an easy place.
He was asked by an Anglican friend to visit an
Ethiopian family while on holiday, which led to
G A Z E T T E
6 2 / O B I T U A R I E S
an ongoing relationship with the country. 15
years on he has helped 20 people to find and
build a life in the UK.
He was ecumenical in every way; his funeral
was attended by Methodist, Church of
England, United Reformed Church and
Catholic contingents, who spoke publicly of
his love for all.
He lived out his Christian beliefs to the high
and the low. As a husband and a father he is
very much missed, and he will be remembered
fondly by his family and all those who knew
him.
Kindly contributed by Elsie Purdy
MAURICE DYER (1951, Chemistry) was
a sociable and vivid character with an
enthusiasm for life and a strong loyalty to
his friends, both old and new. Educated at
Newport High School for Boys, he came up
to St Catherine’s Society with a cohort of his
peers ready to enjoy University life. He played
badminton for the University and cricket for
the BBC, although in later years he was more
of an armchair spectator of his two favourite
sports: cricket and rugby.
After National Service in Egypt, Maurice
found employment at the Patent Office in
London, and settled there with his wife,
Joy, whom he married in 1959. The second
of his two daughters, Sarah, was born with
Down’s Syndrome, which prompted Maurice
to take an active role in setting up a local
society to provide support for other parents
and families. He was keenly aware of the
privileges that his education had afforded him
and always strove to help those who were
less fortunate than himself, championing care
and support for people with mental health
issues and alcohol dependency and those
living in poverty. He was also the chairman of
the local community health council for many
years.
Maurice was an active freemason and
belonged to lodges up and down the country.
He was a founder member of the Basingstoke
Bridge Club, a countryside rambler, a member
of the RSA, a keen classical concert-goer, an
avid reader of detective fiction and a spirited
traveller who was particularly drawn to Syria,
Egypt and Jordan.
Maurice was a loyal friend and family man
who never forgot that his own pleasure in
life was a gift. He often quoted the maxim
that the measure of a civilised society is how
it treats those who are most vulnerable. He
never lost his belief that every small change
to relieve the hardship and suffering of others
was worth fighting for.
Kindly contributed by Emma Dyer
PETER FINCH (1951,
Modern History)
passed away in
December 2014. He
was a prime example
of the students for
whom St Catherine’s
Society was formed
and whose lives it
transformed.
Peter was born in rural Essex in 1932. The
family were far from wealthy and when
Peter’s father Fred died of rheumatic fever
a few years later, leaving five children, they
were cast into real hardship. Peter’s mother,
Violet, having a great head for numbers,
landed an office job in nearby Chelmsford.
However, a woman’s salary was not expected
to support a family and times were tough.
Peter attended the village school in
Highwood, a small rural school run and
staffed by two elderly women who had low
aspirations for the children in their care. They
had never entered a child for the vital eleven
plus exam – choosing to keep the bright
children in their care to serve as assistant
teachers and to raise the apparent level of
attainment at the school.
Peter’s elder brother and sister left school
at fourteen and found work – he expected
to follow them and looked around for an
G A Z E T T E
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 6 3
apprenticeship in market gardening – the only
job he could imagine himself doing.
At this point my father’s story takes an
extraordinary turn. Realising that their school
had been mismanaged for years, the people
of Highwood got up a petition to the local
school board, signing their names in a ring
around the text so that no leader could be
identified. This ‘round robin’ had a satisfying
effect: the two teachers at Highwood School
were disposed of and a new head teacher put
in place. She entered Peter not for the eleven
plus – he was already too old for that – but
for the thirteen plus.
Success in the thirteen plus took Peter to
Chelmsford Grammar, where he joined boys
who had already been there for two years. He
worked hard and quickly caught up, learned
French and Latin, excelled in Mathematics and
developed the love of History that he kept
to the end of his life. In his final year, Peter
was Head Boy and a member of the First XI
in both football and cricket. The Headmaster
suggested he apply to university, to Oxford,
where a society existed that allowed bright
young men of limited means to attend the
University without the prohibitive costs
associated with membership of a college.
I wonder how my father coped with that first
year. My mother believed he had struggled
terribly in his first year – intimidated by the
sheen and confidence of the public school
boys who thronged the city and worrying
if he was up to the job before him. Peter
panicked after a set of examinations (college
collections perhaps) and ran to tell the new
Censor – a young Alan Bullock – that he had
failed and would have to leave Oxford. Alan
calmed Peter down and persuaded him to
stay, a kind act typical of that great man.
Once he had found his feet, Peter made the
most of his time in Oxford, Cross Country
running alongside Roger Bannister and Chris
Chataway, captaining the College football
team and taking them to a collegiate final
only to be beaten by a Brasenose team
captained by cricketer Colin Cowdrey.
University was followed by National Service
and that by a career in marketing. Peter
met Margaret Wilson, who became his
wife. Together they moved to the village
of Nutfield in Surrey, where Peter made
himself indispensable, chairing virtually every
committee the community had to offer and
starting a few more. Peter became an expert
on the history of this little corner of East
Surrey, publishing several books and becoming
known as ‘Mr Nutfield’ in local history circles.
Peter and Margaret had five children and
seven grandchildren. They were together until
Margaret’s death in 2012. Peter lost his sight
and was very ill towards the end of his life.
He was extraordinarily brave and gentlemanly
to the very end.
Without the existence of St Catherine’s Society,
my father certainly could not have attended
Oxford University, possibly could not have
attended University at all. My father never
took this extraordinary gift for granted. He was
proud beyond measure when I, his youngest
son, won a place at the College in 1990.
My father left a generous gift to the College
in his will; perhaps that legacy will help some
other bright but poor young person to come
to Oxford. Were my father to be finishing
secondary school today, one of four children
from a cash-strapped family, and in today’s
political and financial climate, I do not believe
he would be able to take up the opportunity
to come to Oxford.
Kindly contributed by Edward Finch
PETER SHAW, one of the Founding Fellows
of St. Catherine’s College, died at home in
Scotland on 13 April 2015, aged 92. He was
educated at Kendal Grammar School and was
awarded a scholarship to read Chemistry at
Jesus College, Oxford. He then worked at the
Clarendon Laboratory, becoming a Senior
Research Officer. In 1954, at Alan Bullock’s
invitation, he became the first Stipendiary
Tutor in Physics to what was then St.
Catherine’s Society.
G A Z E T T E
6 4 / O B I T U A R I E S
Peter took great interest in the planning and
building of the College. He was one of the
14 Founding Fellows who accompanied Alan
Bullock to the Villa Serbelloni, on Lake Como,
to discuss the ethos and constitution of the
new college. He admired Arne Jacobsen’s
plan, in its bold and unified architectural
vision and in its fine attention to detail, and
he was particularly pleased that the plan
included a Music House. He was also very
glad to have appointed Neville Robinson to
the Physics staff. This was, he felt, the most
valuable thing he ever did for the College.
After graduating in Chemistry, Peter was
appointed to the research team which Sir
Francis Simon and Nicholas Kurti established
at the Clarendon Laboratory, with the aim of
separating uranium-235 from uranium-238 by
gaseous diffusion through a semi-permeable
membrane. His personal contribution was to
investigate the making of copper membranes.
Once membranes of an acceptable type
had been made, his efforts were devoted to
stabilising them against attack by ‘hex’, which
was achieved by treatment with fluorine gas.
This diffusion technique formed the basis of
the British Tube Alloys project, later subsumed
into the Manhattan Project which produced
the first atomic bomb.
The excitement that this work generated in
him, and the insights he gained, inspired
Peter to continue in the field of nuclear
structure. A meticulous and imaginative
experimentalist, who could make apparatus
to a high specification, he worked closely
with theoreticians, notably Professor Sir
Denys Wilkinson, to determine the accurate
data required. This started with a series of
observations of the protons and neutrons
produced in the D-D reaction (fusion of two
deuterium nuclei). The two end-results of
this reaction were found to be surprisingly
different and asymmetric, and led to a
reassessment of the original elementary
wave-function theories about these nuclei.
After the war, the Clarendon had been able
to capitalise on its radar research to become
a world leader in nuclear magnetic resonance
techniques. Peter was part of the team that
established the nuclear spin and magnetic
moments of cobalt-56 and -57, making
possible their subsequent use in medicine
and radiography. He continued his research
into nuclear structure, producing papers on
Resonant Proton Capture by chlorine as well as
on similar studies in medium-weight and heavy
nuclei. He also turned to the study of hot atom
reactions in atomic bromides, in particular the
neutron irradiation of bromoethane.
Peter is remembered by his students as an
excellent tutor, offering a broad education
which, according to one of them, was, ‘By no
means limited to the pipe-smoking tutorials
on the mysteries of atomic physics… With
his all-embracing interest in science (not just
physics), music, art and culture in general,
he was in every respect the epitome of the
renaissance man.’
His interests ranged from Modern Art
to mushrooms, and from music to
mountaineering. He helped establish the
Museum of Modern Art in Oxford, after its
founder, the architect Trevor Green, asked him
to join the original executive board. Trevor, a
personal friend of Peter’s, was always grateful
for his help in bridging the gap between the
academic world and contemporary art.
His enjoyment and knowledge of wine led to
him starting the St Catz cellar. At home he
led expeditions to forage for edible fungi,
about which he was a considerable expert.
As a young man he played the piano to a
reasonable level, largely self-taught, and later
took up the Spanish guitar.
In 1969 he married Patricia Gearin Tosh,
whose son Michael was then a Fellow
(English) of St Catz. The following year Peter
retired on account of ill health, and he and
Patricia moved to Scotland, where she had
started a successful dog-breeding business.
To this they added a boarding kennels, which
was also very successful, and in all of this
Peter was able to put his practical skills to
good use. As a schoolboy in Kendal he had
become a keen hill-walker. Now in Scotland
G A Z E T T E
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 6 5
he was able to pursue this passion and was
never happier than when climbing in the
Cuillins.
Patricia died three years before he did.
Peter had been married twice before and is
survived by a daughter and a son from his
first marriage, four grandchildren, and eight
great-grandchildren.
Kindly contributed by Stephen Shaw.
RICHARD BRETT-
KNOWLES (1941,
Physics) died in
March 2015. He
was born in 1924 in
Essex. As a teenager
he found himself
drawn to practical
electronics and
radio, subjects that
would continue to
interest him, personally and professionally,
through a remarkably varied life. At school
in Wellington, Richard was planning on
studying chemistry, but the war saw his life
take a different path when his headmaster
offered him a place on a government scheme
to study physics at Oxford. He recalled in
an interview for the British Library’s An Oral
History of British Science: ‘I said, “I thought
I was going there to read chemistry.” [The
headmaster] said, “That wasn’t what I said.
Do you or don’t you want to go to Oxford to
read physics?” Instant decision, I said, “Yes”
He said, “Pack your bags, go tomorrow.” Mr
Churchill wanted forty boys to read physics to
work on radar.’
Richard left Oxford in 1943 after studying an
intensive two-year course, however wartime
urgency meant his degree was not officially
conferred, resulting in an accidental posting
to a radar factory in Bournemouth. He
revealed: ‘Civil servants didn’t understand, at
Oxford. You don’t get the degree. You pass
the exam then you have to have the degree
conferred on you. It wasn’t until 1991 that I
actually got my degree.’
After extracting himself from the bureaucratic
oversight, Richard was posted to the
Telecommunications Research Establishment
(TRE) at Malvern, the top secret centre
of British radar development. He found
himself in his element amongst inventive
colleagues pioneering this new technology:
‘We were all nutcases,’ he recalled. ‘We
weren’t conventional, some of us were less
conventional than others. Remember, radar
was unconventional at the time.’ Seconded to
serve in the field, Richard’s wartime scientific
career was unusually eventful. He served as
a radar expert aboard an aircraft carrier HMS
Vindex, with a front line Swordfish squadron
in newly liberated Europe after D-Day and,
with the war drawing to a close, found
himself investigating German radar stations in
Holland with the aid of the Dutch resistance.
Finding post-war TRE lacking its previous
revolutionary spirit, Richard joined the Royal
Navy as an instructor. The peacetime navy
was not entirely to his tastes, but in 1952 he
enthusiastically swapped the cocktail parties
and drill for two years’ scientific research in
the Arctic, as part of the pioneering British
North Greenland Expedition. An enthusiastic
reader of adventure books as a child, Richard
took to the harsh life in huts and tent,
traversing the arctic by dog sled and ‘Weasel’
snowmobile and enjoying the comradeship
far from civilization. ‘I enjoyed it so much.
Freedom from money, you couldn’t buy
anything,’ he recalled. ‘And in my case doing
what I’d always wanted to do as a small child.’
Richard eventually left the Navy in the mid-
1960s to return to research and worked on
the development of early guided missiles at
the Admiralty Surface Weapons Establishment
near Portsmouth. Throughout this time, he
maintained an active role in the sailing world,
as skipper of the London Sailing Project, a
charity for young offenders based in Gosport.
He took early retirement in 1982 to become
an electronics consultant, including work
for the Airbus A320 airliner, as well as to
lecture on radar history, and continued a
long involvement with the amateur radio
community, using his call sign G3AAT. An
G A Z E T T E
6 6 / O B I T U A R I E S
editor for the Radio Society of Great Britain’
publications, he shared his boundless
enthusiasm and technical knowledge until the
day he died.
He is survived by a daughter and a son.
Kindly contributed by Tom Lean
JOHN DALE LAIRD
(1963, Engineering)
passed away
peacefully on 6 April,
2015 at his home in
Kittery Point, Maine
after an eight-month
battle with pancreatic
cancer. Born on
February 26, 1938
in Trenton, NJ, the
second son of Max O. Laird and Vivian Shirley,
John combined a creative, inquiring mind
with an engineer’s drive to solve problems.
After graduating from Princeton high school,
he attended Purdue University, where he
received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical
engineering. He earned a Master’s degree in
Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT while
working at Avco Corporation in Wilmington,
Mass., where he was closely involved in the
design of the Mach 20 AVCO Hypersonic
Shock Tunnel and the development of
a miniature, high sensitivity pressure
transducer. Both were important tools in the
development of the Apollo Command Module.
In 1963, he left his job to pursue a doctorate
at Oxford University.
Returning to the US in 1965, he joined the
team led by Dr. Arthur R. Kantrowitz at
the Avco Everett Research Laboratory that
developed the intra-aortic balloon pump, a
heart-assist device that is still widely used in
cardiac care. His work in this area attracted
international attention, which led to his
appointment to the newly established Thorax
Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where
he continued his cardiovascular research
– and became fluent in Dutch. A leading
authority on the regulation of coronary
blood flow, John later became a professor
of physiological physics at the department
of medicine at Leiden University, where he
combined research into the mechanism of the
control of coronary blood flow with numerous
teaching responsibilities.
He moved back to the US in 1990, and
worked as an independent consultant for a
variety of organisations in the Boston area.
In 1995, he became the principal scientist
at Abiomed, working on the implantable
artificial heart project, which led to the
development of a battery-operated device,
which was developed as an implantable
synthetic replacement heart. After leaving
Abiomed, John worked as a consultant to
MIT Lincoln Laboratory for several years
before finally retiring to enjoy sailing and his
eclectic range of other hobbies, which varied
from learning to play the organ to amateur
radio. Undaunted by his cancer diagnosis,
he renewed his amateur radio licence last
August, passing the examination giving him
full privileges on all amateur frequency bands.
John was passionate about good food, good
wines and whisky. He spent some of his
happiest moments on the enclosed porch
at his house in Kittery Point overlooking
Pepperrell Cove, watching the boats and
enjoying a glass of Scotch.
John is survived by his wife Els Overkleeft;
his three daughters Karen de Groot-Laird,
Elizabeth van der Made-Laird and Anne de
Jong-Laird, all residing in the Netherlands;
his son, Peter W. Laird, of Grand Rapids,
Michigan; his two nieces Julie Ann and
Susan Laird; his nephew Keith Laird; 15
grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
Cremation has taken place privately, in
accordance with his wishes. A gathering to
celebrate his life will be held at a later date.
Partly reproduced by kind permission from
the New York Times.
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 6 7
G A Z E T T E
STEPHEN ELLIS
(1972, MODERN
HISTORY) died
as he had lived:
as a philosopher,
a man of faith,
a perfect
gentleman. He
was a historian
and remained one
right to the end,
in his scrupulous attention to sources and the
diversity of those on which he drew. Thanks
to the different posts he occupied throughout
a particularly successful and varied career,
his social skills, his human warmth and his
absolute discretion, he probably had one of
the best address books a specialist in African
affairs could boast: in it, leading lights in the
international scholarly community rubbed
shoulders with civil servants of all nations,
activists, journalists, bankers, brokers, ex-
mercenaries, business figures sometimes
with a background in armed struggle, priests
and pastors, environmentalists, diamond
merchants, and a host of anonymous people
he had met in the course of his travels,
especially in Africa, to whom he evinced
a respect which did not cloud his clear-
sightedness. Working with Stephen was a
pleasure, but also a necessity, as his erudition
was always so valuable for the research of
all of us. I experienced this myself on several
occasions, especially when I wrote, with him
and Béatrice Hibou, The Criminalization of
the State in Africa. Although I personally
learned a great deal from him for my own
books, other people are better placed than
I am to salute his activities as a historian of
Madagascar and the Republic of South Africa,
his contribution to an understanding of the
civil war in Liberia, and his decisive work –
with Gerrie ter Haar – on the study of religion
in Africa.
Having derived such benefit from it, I
am pretty well qualified to express the
gratitude of Africanists for his generosity to
his colleagues and students, on whom he
lavished advice, information, bibliographical
leads, and contacts – that famous address
book again! Stephen was a sharer. He was
active in many collective endeavours –
including being a co-editor of African Affairs
for many years – to the detriment of his
personal projects. Nor did he ever hesitate to
offer his French-speaking peers the services
of his superb English, without regard for his
own schedule.
But as our sorrow might otherwise lead us
to forget it, I would like here, if I may, to
mention one aspect of his personality that
lay at the basis of his professional integrity
and that I particularly valued, especially in the
course of the long field work we undertook
while working on our Criminalization of the
State in Africa: humour. Stephen enjoyed a
good laugh, and knew how to make others
laugh too. People will object: ‘is this so
unusual in a Briton, especially a man so
British as Stephen?’ The fact is that his
laughter was not just a sign of decency and
distance with regard to the cruelty of the
world which saddened his humanism. His
laughter was subversive – a guarantee of his
freedom of thought. The best proof of this
is that, although he was a subject of Her
Majesty’s, he could also laugh at animals.
His favourite scenes, which he could watch
again and again, were the bits in A Fish
Called Wanda where three horrible dogs are
killed in succession (one of them crushed
under a falling concrete block) when it’s their
mistress who is the real target, if I remember
rightly. And we would be overcome by
uncontrollable laughter, in the presence of a
few flabbergasted American colleagues, when
he told us how South African tourists would
slip plastic snakes under the stones to scare
off some creepy-crawly or other in the Kruger
Park. He was a free man, as I have said, and
as his Stoic lucidity and courage reminded us
when his death approached.
Kindly contributed by Jean-François Bayart
and translated by Andrew Brown
6 8 / O B I T U A R I E S
G A Z E T T E
CHARLES ‘HARRY’ WHITNALL (1948,
ENGLISH) was commissioned during 1944
into the RNVR, ‘the wavy navy,’ as Navigating
Officer on ML 914 of the 15th Flotilla, Coastal
Forces, having experienced the youthful Sea
Cadets, later training at HMS King Alfred and
sea-going exercises on HMS Dauntless. During
this time he saw action in the North Sea, the
English Channel and D-Day operations.
Following demobilisation he abandoned a
brief spell as a teacher, and came up to St.
Catherine’s Society where he particularly
enjoyed the fellowship and camaraderie of
similarly placed post-war undergraduates.
Harry was an active member of the College
Boat Club, crewing in the 2txt eight and
rowed Number 4 during Eights Week, when all
three St Catz crews achieved six ‘bumps’ – a
University Record during Tripods and Head
of the River Races in 1949. After graduating,
with Margaret his wife, Harry welcomed the
challenges and rewards offered in a business
career, with various appointments in a variety
of international companies: he eventually
retired as Principal Sales Director with a well-
known fashion house.
As a ‘lifelong learner,’ Harry actively pursued
his interests in Literature, Music and Art...and
Arsenal FC...of which he was a devoted and
passionate supporter.
Harry, with Margaret (who sadly predeceased
him), lived near Eye in Suffolk, where he died
at home, as he wished, on 7 August, 2015.
Kindly contributed by Frank Whitnall
ROBIN
HORSCROFT
(1953,
CHEMISTRY)
died aged 83 on
29 September
2015, following a
short illness. The
beloved husband
and father is
survived by his
wife, Jane, 83, and his four children, Gillian,
Rebecca, Timothy and James.
Robin Charles Horscroft was born to Dorothy
and Charles on 21 April 1932 in Oxford. Robin
was educated first at the Dragon School
and then from the age of 12, at St Edward’s
boarding school. Here, Robin developed his
love of rowing, which continued throughout
his university days, rowing in bow position, in
the 1st Eight.
Before reading chemistry at St Catherine’s
Society, Robin undertook his National Service
with 3 Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery and
299 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. After
university, Robin joined the TA in which he
served with the Oxfordshire Yeomanry for a
number of years.
Shortly after commencing his undergraduate
studies he met Jane, his future wife. Jane
introduced Robin to Catholicism, and he
converted to that faith during their two-year
engagement. They married on 14 April 1956,
both aged 24, about a month before Robin’s
university Finals.
Robin completed his academic studies with
a doctorate in chemistry at St Catherine’s,
under the tutelage of the Nobel prize winner,
Professor Sir Cyril Hinshelwood. Robin then
took a job working for the Scientific Civil
Service at Aldermaston near Newbury, starting
on New Year’s Day 1960. He enjoyed a long
and successful career, playing an important
role in the joint US / UK scientific programs
1979–1984, and later working for seven years
in London before returning to Aldermaston
as superintendent of the chemistry labs – a
position he held until his retirement in 1997.
Robin was an active member of the Roman
Catholic church of St Francis de Sales in
Newbury, serving on a number of committees,
and working to establish contacts with other
Christian churches in Newbury. He was also a
long standing member of The St Vincent de
Paul Society.
Robin, a true son of Oxford, had a life
characterised by service to his country, his
family and the church. He was kind, friendly
and generous with praise, a quiet and gentle
man of great faith.
Kindly contributed by Tim Horscroft
JOSEPH BRYAN NELSON MBE (1959,
BIOLOGY) died on 29 June, 2015, aged 83.
Bryan was born and raised in Shipley, West
Yorkshire, and attended Saltaire Grammar
School until the age of 16, when he left
to support his family. Bryan nevertheless
pursued his studies at night school, going
on to win a place at St Andrews, where he
read Zoology. In 1959 he went on to study
at St Catherine’s, Oxford, gaining a DPhil in
Biology. The world expert on gannets, Bryan
spent his honeymoon studying gannets on
Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth with wife June.
Such was Bryan’s tireless conservation work
and scholarly passion that ‘the Bass’ still
holds the largest colony of Northern Gannets
in the world. The couple spent three years
on the remote island, enduring gale-force
winds and plummeting temperatures in
pursuit of their shared passion. Bryan and
June later lived on the Galapagos Islands
and studied booby and frigate birds. During
their research, amidst crippling heat and arid
conditions, the couple were invited on to
the Royal Yacht Britannia and met the Duke
of Edinburgh. They were admired by fellow
activists, including Prince Charles and Sir
David Attenborough, for a shared commitment
towards environmentalism. In 1968, Dr Nelson
sailed to Christmas Island to study the jungle
tree-top nesting Abbott’s booby. Later on he
was instrumental in pressing the Australian
government into designating Christmas Island
a national park. Bryan spent many years
lecturing at St Andrews University, and is
fondly remembered for his definitive work
The Gannet – but also for his compassion
and respect towards others. Bryan was a key
supporter of the Seabird Centre, opened in
2000, which has been flying its flag at half-
mast in his honour. Bryan was tireless in his
determination not only to study the problems
facing the environment, but to take action to
combat them. Bryan was awarded an MBE in
2006 for his services to seabirds. He married
June Davison, from Rawdon, Leeds, in 1960.
He is survived by June and their twins Simon
and Becky. Bryan died during an environment-
awareness bicycle trip in Uzbekistan.
With thanks to June Nelson for providing
much of the information
HAZEL MILLER (1987, LAW) died on 10
August, 2015, aged 46 years. Born in
Bridgewater, Somerset, she was educated in
Bridgwater and in 1987 gained a place at St
Catherine’s College, Oxford, where she read
Jurisprudence. She gained a BA with honours
and then went to Guildford College of Law
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 6 9
G A Z E T T E
where she gained a Postgraduate Diploma
in Legal Practice. Hazel then went to work
for Slaughter & Mary in London and also
spent time in their Hong Kong and Singapore
offices. She then moved to Jones Day, where
she became a partner. Her next move was
becoming a partner at Orrrick before moving
to Proskauer Rose, also as a partner. Hazel
specialised in corporate and commercial
financing transactions, restructuring, and
bankruptcy. She had travelled extensively
in Canada, the USA, Asia, the Far East,
Australia and New Zealand. She trekked in the
mountains of Nepal, travelled the Inca Trail,
and visited many European countries. Hazel
had a passion for photography, studying at
Central St Martins, Santa Fe, and in Spain.
She also had a love of art. Hazel liked to play
golf and was a member of Sundridge Park
Golf Club. Watching live sport was another
of her passions. Hazel never married but had
many friends.
Kindly contributed by Marlene Miller
7 0 / S E C U R I N G T H E F U T U R E
G A Z E T T E
NOTIFICATIONS
Michael Sheldon (1966, Mathematics)
Lothar Scheiner (1947, Theology)
Harvey Thorn (1949, Theology)
Donald Schofield (1949, Theology)
Michael Whatmore (1951, Theology)
Robert Coke (1972, Social Sciences)
Douglas Simon Sherwin (1947, PPE)
John Murphy (1971, Zoology)
Gareth Hughes (1950, Geography)
Dougal Oldfield (2001, Modern Languages)
Rowland Hill (1972, Physics)
Oliver Lucas (1973, Biological Sciences)
The Revd John Eric Scott (1935, Theology)
Sincere apologies to Philip N Smith, whose
name was incorrectly listed in the deceased
notifications in the 2014 edition of The Year.
G A Z E T T E
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 7 1
Over the last five years,
we have received over
£5 million from Legacies…
What’s more, we are proud
to have a community of
nearly 200 alumni, parents
and friends who have
pledged to leave Legacies
to St Catz.
For more information about leaving a
Legacy to the College, or to request a
copy of our Legacy Brochure, please
contact the Development Office at
or +44 1865 271 705. We would
always advise that you consult a legal
professional prior to changing your Will.
Without charitable donation
Gross Estate £1,000,000
Net Estate £675,000
No charitable donation £0
Taxable Estate £675,000
Less Inheritance Tax @ 40% £270,000
Remaining Estate £730,000
With charitable donation
Gross Estate £1,000,000
Net Estate £675,000
Less donation of 10% £67,500
Taxable Estate £607,500
Less Inheritance Tax @ 36% £218,700
Remaining Estate £713,800
Building our Future: A Gift to St Catherine’s in Your WillRemembering St Catz in your Will is a very special and personal way of supporting the
College. Legacies play an important role in helping to preserve all of the elements that make
a Catz education special – the scholarships we provide for our students, the very high quality
of our teaching and research, and our unique buildings and grounds. Over the last five years
we have received more than £5 million from Legacies, for which we are very grateful.
What’s more, we are proud to have a community of nearly 200 alumni, parents and friends who
have pledged to leave a Legacy to St Catz. We thank our Legators by welcoming them back to
the College for the biennial Dean Kitchin Circle Lunch, which will next be held in 2017.
As St Catz is a Registered Charity in the UK (No. 1143817), Legacy donations can help you to
reduce the amount of tax you pay on your estate. Legacies made to the College are exempt
from Inheritance Tax and Capital Gains Tax in the UK, and are simple to put into effect by adding
a codicil or making a revision to your Will. Under current UK Law, those who leave at least 10%
of their estate to charity may receive a 4% cut on their Inheritance Tax. Tax reductions may also
be possible in other countries.
THE DIFFERENCE YOUR LEGACY MAKES (UK TAXPAYERS)
G A Z E T T E
7 2 / O B I T U A R I E S
Biological SciencesEleanor Blake - Pate’s Grammar School, CheltenhamAlice Godson - King Edward VI School, LichfieldWilliam Hughes - Corsham School, WiltshireMatthew Jordon - Duchess’s Community High School, NorthumberlandOliver Mattinson - Marlborough College, WiltshireJenna Poole - Repton School, DerbyshireHolly Smith - St Helen’s School, NorthwoodMolly Songer - Truro & Penwith College, Cornwall
Biomedical SciencesZoe Curtis - Dubai College, United Arab EmiratesFaraaz Khan - St Paul’s School, London
ChemistryDaniya Aynetdinova - Bromsgrove School, WorcestershireRachel Chan - Raffles Institute, SingaporeShelley Chen - Trinity School, CroydonAdam Heisig - Farnborough Sixth Form College, HampshireDaniel Kane - Sir Thomas Rich’s School, GloucesterOscar Kelly - Whitgift School, SurreyJacques Morgan - Fortismere School, LondonMatthew Peters - Dunblane High School, PerthshireBradley Sheath - Christ The King College, Isle of WightAngus Yeung - Queen’s College, Taunton
Computer ScienceThomas Denney - Hills Road Sixth Form College, CambridgeNick Hu - Lawrence Sheriff School, WarwickshireSauyon Lee - School for Independent Learners, USACiprian Stirbu - Colegiul National Gheorghe Vranceanu Bacau, Romania
Economics & ManagementChristopher Rawlings - Sir Thomas Rich’s School, GloucesterJames Taylor - Reigate Grammar School, SurreyTill Wicker - American High School of the Hague, NetherlandsThomas Williamson - Repton School, Derbyshire
Engineering ScienceAue Angpanitcharoen - Shrewsbury SchoolGeorge England - Abingdon School, OxfordshireDuncan Field - Peter Symonds College, WinchesterToby Guppy - London Oratory SchoolGeorge Todd - Altrincham Boys’ Grammar School, CheshireJustin Wu - The Bromfield School, USAKieran Young - Royal Grammar School, Worcester
English Language & LiteratureEleanor Bourne - Pate’s Grammar School, CheltenhamMichael Delgado - Highgate School, LondonMolly Easton - St Paul’s Girls’ School, LondonPriya Khaira-Hanks - Chase School, MalvernMatilda Nevin - Beaconsfield High School, BuckinghamshireMayu Noda - Haberdashers’ Aske’s Girls’ School, ElstreeRosemary Shakerchi - City of London Freemen’s School, SurreyLily-Anna Trimble - St John the Baptist School, WokingEmma Woodcock - Ridgeway School, Wiltshire
Experimental PsychologyEndi Skenderi - CATS College Canterbury, Kent
Fine ArtChuan-Yueh Chang - Dulwich International High School Zhuhai, ChinaNour Jaouda - Cairo Modern English School, Egypt
GeographyGeorge Carew-Jones - Hampton School, MiddlesexAlexander Curtis - Chauncy School, HertfordshireNaomi Kelly - Reeds School, CobhamRivka Micklethwaite - Drayton Manor High School, LondonRufin Nowers - Burnham Grammar School, BerkshireDaniel O’Callaghan - Leicester Grammar SchoolJames Piggot - Eton College, WindsorLauren Rowley - North London Collegiate School, MiddlesexElizabeth Watson - Woodhouse Grove School, BradfordJames Winder - Bedford School
HistoryJake Croft - King Edward VI College, WarwickshireAntonio Gottardello - Institut Montana American School, SwitzerlandLauren Milner - Godolphin & Latymer School, LondonSienna Rothery - Sevenoaks School, KentMikayla Sinclair - Wallington High School for Girls, SurreyVerity Winn - Alcester Grammar School, Warwickshire
History & EconomicsJames Thomas - British School of Brussels, Belgium
History & PoliticsJames Evans - Wirral Grammar School, BebingtonClaire Sims - New College, Swindon
History of ArtNathan Geyer - Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College, LondonHannah Kelly - Grey Coat Hospital School, LondonFionn Montell-Boyd - Wimbledon High School, London
Human SciencesLauren Blum - Haberdashers’ Aske’s Girls’ School, ElstreeJoshua Parker Allen - University College School, LondonEleanor Potter - Southam College, WarwickshireMaya Shahor - Rugby High School, Warwickshire
LawKeshya Amarasinghe - Colombo International School, Sri LankaAlex Benn - North Halifax Grammar School, West YorkshireSae Hun Jang - Singapore American School, SingaporeLuca Jezerniczky - Oriel High School, West SussexSeon Woo Kim - Cardiff Sixth Form CollegeDylan Nathwani - Queensmead School, MiddlesexThomas Pausey - Windsor Boys’ School, BerkshireJasmin Sahota - Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College, LeicesterJaimya Zaver - St Albans High School, Hertfordshire
Law with Law Studies in EuropeGabriel Moussa - École Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel, France
Materials ScienceGiles Chambers - St Paul’s School, LondonInigo Howe - Cherwell School, OxfordJunhao Liang - Guangdong Country Garden School, ChinaWilliam Roberts - Concord College, ShropshireBrandon Severin - Harrow School, Middlesex
MathematicsEmily Ball - Anthony Gell School, DerbyshireFaizaan Hakim - Queen Elizabeth School, BarnetNathan Harpham - Wallingford School, OxfordshireAdam Higgins - Notre Dame Sixth Form College, LeedsAlexander Howson - John Port School, DerbyshireStuart O’Connell - Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital School, Bristol
Mathematics & Computer ScienceWilliam Platt - Bacup & Rawtenstall Grammar School, LancashireCalin Tataru - Hailsham Community College, East Sussex
Mathematics & PhilosophyGang Hyeok Lee - Daewon Foreign Language High School, South Korea
Admissions 2015
G A Z E T T E
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 7 3
Medical SciencesSheriff Akande - Seven Kings High School, IlfordJonathan Drake - Prudhoe Community High School, NorthumberlandNisha Hare - Oxford High SchoolAjay Kapur - Eltham College, LondonJames Perring - Blundells School, DevonAffan Saibudeen - Luton Sixth Form College, Bedfordshire
Modern LanguagesGregory Alexander - Manchester Grammar SchoolAnousha Al-Masud - Colchester Royal Grammar School, EssexPortia Cox - Marlborough College, WiltshireLorenzo Edwards-Jones - Radley College, AbingdonIndia Phillips - Godalming College, SurreyWilliam Ponsonby - Eton College, WindsorNicole Rayment - Gumley House Convent School, MiddlesexColette Rocheteau - Crossley Heath School, West YorkshireHarry Sampson - St Albans School, HertfordshireIsobel Whyte - Kendrick School, Berkshire
Modern Languages & LinguisticsThomas Frame - Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School, ElstreeSarah Wallace - Tytherington School, Cheshire
Molecular & Cellular BiochemistryZoe Catchpole - Monks Walk School, HertfordshireAlissa Hummer - Frankfurt International School, GermanyElinor Oppenheim - Camden School for Girls, LondonElena Zanchini di Castiglionchi - D’Overbroeck’s College, Oxford
MusicShu-Yu Chang - King Edward VII School, SheffieldJohn Lee - Raffles Institute, SingaporeMelissa Morton - St Helen’s School, NorthwoodChloe Rooke - Wycombe High School, Buckinghamshire
Philosophy, Politics & EconomicsImogen Downing - Arran High School, Isle of ArranShian Harris - High Storrs School, SheffieldRachel Hughes-Morgan - North London Collegiate School, MiddlesexPhoebe Jacobson - Watford Grammar School for Girls, HertfordshireJoseph MacConnell - Richard Huish College, TauntonMax Salisbury - Kingston Grammar School, SurreyChristos Tsoukalis - Athens College - Psychico College, GreeceThomas Turner - Reigate College, Surrey
PhysicsThomas Dickinson - Thirsk School, North Yorkshire
James Fallon - Sir John Deane’s College, NorthwichMatthew Fay - Southend High School for Boys, EssexDomonkos Kakas - Highgate School, LondonAlexander Langedijk - Farnborough Sixth Form College, HampshireHarrison Manley - Sandon School, EssexAlexandra Tindall - Collyer’s Sixth Form College, West SussexIeuan Wilkes - Old Swinford Hospital School, Stourbridge
Psychology & LinguisticsJosephine Barnett-Neefs - European School Culham, OxfordshireLuka Nikolic - City of London School
GRADUATES
Roxanna Abhari (BSc University of Western Ontario, Canada), MSc (R) Musculoskeletal SciencesBenjamin Abraham (BA University of Otago, New Zealand; MSc St Catherine’s), DPhil Public Policy *Erik Abrahamsson (BSc King’s College London), MBABryan Adriaanse (BSc, MSc University of Maastricht, Netherlands), DPhil Clinical NeurosciencesMichael Agathangelou (BA University of Bristol), MSt English (1830-1914)Swati Agrawal (MB BS Sikkin Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences, India; MS Rabindranath Tagore Institute, India), MSc (C) Clinical EmbryologyMette Ahlefeldt-Laurvig (BA Academy of Music, Aalborg, Denmark; BA Chelsea College of Art & Design; MSt St Catherine’s), DPhil History *Ikuya Aizawa (BA International Christian University, Japan), MSc (C) Applied Linguistics & Second Language AcquisitionAdnan Al-Khatib (BSc Higher Institute of Business Administration, Syria; BSc Hult International Business School), MBANajwa Al-Thani (BSc Northwestern University, Qatar), MSc (C) Global Governance & DiplomacyAluvaala Aluvaala (BMBS MSc University of Nairobi, Kenya; MSc London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), DPhil Clinical MedicineInes Alvarez Rodrigo (BSc University of Edinburgh), DPhil Chromosome & Developmental BiologyGilad Amzaleg (MSc University of Nottingham), DPhil Biomedical ImagingAishwarya Anam (BSc London School of Economics & Political Science), MSt Literature & Arts (part-time)Antonio Andres (BEng Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain; MSc Universidad Politecnica de Barcelona, Spain), MSc (C) Water Science, Policy & ManagementFabio Anza (BPhys University of Palermo, Italy; MPhys University of Pisa, Italy; Wolfson College), DPhil Atomic & Laser PhysicsAysha Aswat (BEd Institute of Education London), MSc (C) Education (Child Development & Education)
Andrew Baca (BA Harvard College, USA), MBAGeorge Bacon (BA Oxford Brookes University), PGCE Religious EducationAmraj Bahia (BSc Imperial College London), MSc (C) Mathematical & Computational FinanceRoger Bailey (BSc University of Durham; MB BS Charing Cross & Westminster Medical School; LLM University of Manchester), MSc (C) Evidence-Based Health Care (part-time)Ameen Barghi (BSc University of Alabama, USA), Master of Public PolicyMichael Barton (BSc University of Edinburgh), PGCE BiologyVicky Bastock (BA, PGCE University of Leicester), MSc (C) Learning & Teaching (part-time)Anthony Bates (MB ChB University of Bristol; BSc University of Manchester), MSc (C) Surgical Science & Practice (part-time)Priyanka Bawa (BBS University of Delhi, India; MPP Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India), DPhil Social PolicyClarissa Bayer (BSc Katholische Universitat Eichstatt-Ingolstadt, Germany), MSc (C) SociologyJoao Bechara Calmon (LLB Universidade Federal do Parana, Brazil), MBAMatilda Becker (BSc King’s College London), MSc (C) Water Science, Policy & ManagementSara Bencekovic (BA York University, Canada), MPhil Social AnthropologyLouise Bendall (BSc University of Sheffield; MSc University of Birmingham), DPhil OncologySolana Beserman Balco (LLB, LLM University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bucerius Law School, Germany), MJurisJi Bian (BSc Central South University, China; MSc University of Maryland, USA), MBAPaul Booth (BA University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa), Master of Public PolicyMichael Bouterse (BA Whitworth College, USA; MTh Wycliffe Hall, Oxford), MSt TheologyMark Brown (BSc University of Victoria, Canada), MBAAlexander Bucknell (MEng Christ Church, Oxford), DPhil Gas Turbine AerodynamicsAlice Budisatrijo (BA Indiana University Bloomington, USA), Master of Public PolicyRobert Burdon (BA St Catherine’s), 2nd BM *Samuel Campbell (BA Hampshire College, USA; BSc Imperial College London), DPhil ZoologyJoseph Chadwin (MA University of Aberdeen), MSt Study of ReligionPo Hsiang Chan (MEng Imperial College London), DPhil Engineering ScienceShan Chang (BA St Catherine’s), MSc (C) Comparative Social Policy*Rose Chantiluke (BA Wadham College, Oxford), MSt Modern LanguagesZenan Chen (BSc University of Nottingham Ningbo, China), MSc (C) Computer Science
7 4 / A D M I S S I O N S 2 0 1 5
G A Z E T T E
Anran Cheng (BSc Imperial College London), DPhil Oil & GasChun-Mann Chin (MChem St Catherine’s), DPhil Inorganic Chemistry *Luke Chiverton (BSc University of Warwick), 1st BM (Graduate Entry)Morgan Christie (BA Salem College, USA), MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Thomas Clark (BA, MSt St Anne’s College, Oxford), DPhil Medieval & Modern LanguagesAnnmarie Clay (BSc University of Leeds), MSc (C) Theoretical & Computational ChemistryClayton Comber (BA, LLB University of Wollongong, Australia; MA University of Sydney, Australia), MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Fiona Curnow (LLB Sheffield Hallam University), MSt Psychodynamic Practice (part-time)Vikram Dalal (BEng National Institute of Technology, India; PGDip International Institute of Information Technology, India), MBAAndrew Dean (BA University of Canterbury, New Zealand; MSt New College, Oxford), DPhil EnglishMarco Delise (BSc University of Trieste, Italy; MSc University of Padua, Italy), DPhil Synthetic BiologyAngela Diana (MSc University of Milan, Italy), DPhil OncologyDaniel Dixon (MSci University of Bristol), DPhil Synthetic BiologyPatrick Dowd (BSc Georgetown University, USA), MBAPhilip Earp (BA, MSci Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge), DPhil MaterialsGeorgina Edwards (BA Worcester College, Oxford), MSt Modern LanguagesKareem Edwards (BSc University of the West Indies, Trinidad & Tobago), MBATegan Ekanayake (BSc Monash University, Australia), MSc (C) Clinical EmbryologyTarek El Banna (BSc Cairo University, Egypt), MBAJakob Engel (BA University of Pennsylvania, USA; MSc London School of Economics & Political Science; Wolfson College, Oxford), DPhil Geography & the EnvironmentFaidra Faitaki (BA University College London), MSc (C) Applied Linguistics & Second Language AcquisitionAmanda Farr (), MSc (C) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (part-time)Ciaran Ferris (BDS University of Dundee), MSc (C) Surgical Science & Practice (part-time)John Fielden (BSc Imperial College London; MSc St Catherine’s), DPhil Oncology *Taylor Fields (BA University of Michigan, USA), MSt History of Design (part-time)Matthew Fisher (MChem St Catherine’s), DPhil Inorganic Chemistry *Pablo Gabriel (BSc Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Montpellier, France), DPhil Synthesis for Biology & Medicine
Louis Gardner (BA St Catherine’s), 2nd BM *Harold Geddes (MSc University College London), DPhil Inorganic ChemistryGeeva Gopal Krishnan (BSc Georgetown University, USA), Master of Public PolicyElisabeth Gram (BSc University of Durham; MSc Imperial College London), DPhil Medical SciencesGiovanna Granata (BSc, MSc University of Naples Federico II, Italy), DPhil OncologyGustavo Haber Filho (BA Federal University of Para, Brazil), MBAAnushka Halder (BA Jadavpur University, India), MSc (C) Social AnthropologyAnya Hancock (BA University of Birmingham), MSt Literature & Arts (part-time)Claudia Hartman (BA University of Maastricht, Netherlands), MSc (C) Migration StudiesAlice Hawryszkiewycz (BSc University of Adelaide, Australia; BA London South Bank University), MSc (C) International Health & Tropical MedicineMary Heath (BA, PGCE St Catherine’s), MSc (C) Learning & Teaching (part-time) *Mark Herring (BSc University of Auckland, New Zealand), MBAMark Hew (BSc Texas A & M University, USA), Master of Public PolicyMathias Hoeyer (BSc Aarhus University, Denmark), MSc (C) Financial EconomicsVictoria Howells (BSc University of Leicester), PGCE PhysicsXimeng Hu (BA Beijing Foreign Studies University, China), MSc (C) Applied Linguistics & Second Language AcquisitionHeather Huddleston (BA, LLB University of Sydney, Australia), BCLMiles Huseyin (MBiochem St Catherine’s), DPhil Chromosome & Developmental Biology *Ji Young Hwang (BA Yonsei University, South Korea), MPhil Development StudiesLucy Ingham (BA University of Lancaster; PGCE St Catherine’s), MSc (C) Learning & Teaching (part-time) *Kelsey Inouye (BA, MEd, JD University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA), MSc (C) Education (Higher Education)Owain James (BA University of Exeter), MSt TheologyRobinson Jardin (BCom McGill University, Canada), MSt History of Design (part-time)Jonathan Jenkins (BA University of Northumbria at Newcastle), MSt History of Design (part-time)Hugh Johnson (BA St Catherine’s), 2nd BM *Ananya Joshi (BSc University of Delhi, India), MSc (C) Financial EconomicsMatthew Judge (LLB University College Dublin, Ireland), BCLJakob Kaeppler (BSc, MSc Albert Ludwigs Univesitat Freiburg, Germany), DPhil OncologySungkyung Kang (BA, MMath Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, South Korea), DPhil Mathematics
Dinesh Kapur (BEng Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, India; MPhil Clare Hall, Cambridge), Master of Public PolicyCallum Kelly (BA St Catherine’s), MSt History of Art & Visual Culture *Jason King (BA University of London), MSt History of Design (part-time)Sumeyye Kocaman (BA, MA Istanbul Universitesi, Turkey; MA University of California Los Angeles, USA), DPhil Oriental StudiesJelle Koopsen (BSc University of Amsterdam, Netherlands), MSc (C) Integrated ImmunologyTimm Kruse (Diploma, Universitat Fridericiana Karlsruhe, Germany), MSc (C) Mathematical Finance (part-time)Yasmin Kumi (BSc European Business School University of Economics & Law, Germany; MSc St Catherine’s), MBA *James Kwiecinski (BSc Monash University, Australia; St John’s College, Oxford), DPhil MathematicsGernot Lassnig (MPhys Karl-Franzens Universitat Graz, Austria), MSc (C) Mathematical Finance (part-time)Johnny Latham (BSc Oxford Brookes University), MSc (C) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (part-time)Misa Lazovic (BA, MA University of Nis, Serbia), MBAHenry Lee (BSc University of Manchester), DPhil Musculoskeletal SciencesMatthew Lee (BSc, McGill University, Canada), MSc (C) Sustainable Urban Development (part-time)Susi Lee (BA University of Sussex; St Antony’s College, Oxford; MSc Leicester University), MSt Psychodynamic Practice (part-time)Audrey Lemal (LLB, MBA Université Paris X (Nanterre), France; LLM Université Paris II (Pantheon-Assas), France), MJurisKa Ho Leong (BSc, MSc University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), MSc (C) Sustainable Urban Development (part-time)Lik Yuen Leung (BSc Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), MPhil Sociology & DemographyRuoyu Li (LLB Tsinghua University, China), MJurisZane Linde (BA, MA University of Latvia, Latvia; Linacre College, Oxford), DPhil EnglishLouise Linnander Obermayer (BA Linköping Universitet, Sweden), MBAKaren Litton (BA University of Durham), MSc (C) English Local History (part-time)Jesse Liu (BA Exeter College, Oxford; MSc University of Waterloo, Canada), DPhil Particle PhysicsNatalie Lloyd (BSc University College London; MSc University of Amsterdam, Netherlands), MSc (C) Sustainable Urban Development (part-time)Martyna Lukoseviciute (BSc University of Manchester), DPhil Medical SciencesMan Luo (BSc University of Warwick), MSc (C) Applied StatisticsEdrys Lupprian (BA St Catherine’s; MSc University College London; PGCE St Catharine’s College, Cambridge; MEd University of Exeter), MSc (C) Applied Landscape Archaeology (part-time) *
S T C A T H E R I N E ’ S C O L L E G E 2 0 1 5 / 7 5
G A Z E T T E
Zhongyi Mai (BSc King’s College London), MSc (C) Radiation BiologyMichael Mair (MSc Technische Universität München, Germany), DPhil Engineering ScienceGabriel Mak (MB BS University of Melbourne, Australia), MSc (C) Experimental Therapeutics (part-time)Cutherbert Makondo (BA University of Zambia, Zambia; MSc University of Hull), DPhil Geography & the EnvironmentLuigi Marchese (BSc, MSc University of Naples Federico II, Italy), DPhil Particle PhysicsNicholas Martinez (BEng, MEng Queensland University of Technology, Australia), MBAMusata Matei (BA University College London; PGDipl St Catherine’s), MSt Diplomatic Studies (part-time) *Russell Mayall (MEng University of Sheffield), EngD Renewable Energy Marine StructuresLauren McKarus (BA Sarah Lawrence College, USA), MSc (C) Social Science of the InternetMatthew McMillan (BSc Wheaton College, USA; MASt Christ’s College, Cambridge), MSt Philosophy of PhysicsMike Mehta (BSc Ohio State University, USA; MD Ohio University, USA), MBARomulo Mendonca Machado Carleial (BSc, MSc Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil), DPhil ZoologyAlberto Meneghello (BSc, MSc University of Parma, Italy), MBAIllona Meyer (BA University of South Africa, South Africa), MSt Literature & Arts (part-time)Christopher Mirfin (BSc, MMathPhys University of Warwick; PGCE University of York), DPhil Biomedical ImagingArpita Mitra (BA Lady Shri Ram College for Women, India), MSc (C) Criminology & Criminal JusticeJohn Mittermeier (BA Yale University, USA; MSc St Edmund Hall, Oxford; MSc Louisiana State University, USA; Oriel College, Oxford), DPhil Geography & the EnvironmentLaura Molloy (MA, MPhil University of Glasgow), DPhil Information, Communication & the Social SciencesIan Moore (BA Swansea University), MSc (C) Applied Linguistics & Second Language AcquisitionHangwani Muambadzi (BA University of Cape Town, South Africa), MBADale Munn (BA University of London; PGCE Loughborough University; MA University of Leicester), MSc (C) Applied Landscape Archaeology (part-time)Mudasser Musaoir (BA Richmond American International University in London), Certificate in Diplomatic StudiesValentina Ndolo (BSc University of Nairobi, Kenya), MSc (C) International Health & Tropical MedicineLakshmi Neelakantan (BA, LLB National Law University, Jodhpur, India), MSc (C) Evidence-Based Social Intervention & Policy EvaluationJessica Neilan (BA Oriel College, Oxford), 1st BM (Graduate Entry)
Yihan Ng (BSc Imperial College London), MSc (C) Financial EconomicsSherry Ngai (BSc Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), MBAFreddie O’Farrell (BA University of Sheffield), MSc (C) Comparative Social PolicyBenjamin Page (BA Harris Manchester College, Oxford), MPhil Philosophical TheologyYijing Pan (BA Peking University, China), MSc (C) Financial EconomicsBo Pang (BA Peking University, China), MBAPankaj Pansari (MTech Indian Institute of Technology, India), DPhil Engineering ScienceMartin Pastor (LLM Charles University, Czech Republic), MJurisStephen Pates (MSc Homerton College, Cambridge), DPhil ZoologySupratik Paul (BSc University of Calcutta, India; MBA Xavier School of Management, India; MSc University College London), DPhil Computer ScienceJessica Penberthy (BSc University of Stellenbosch, South Africa), MBAAvril Perry (BA Fordham University, USA; MSc London School of Oriental & African Studies), MBAFrancesca Perry (BA St Anne’s College, Oxford), MSt Music (Musicology)Sean Peters (BA Simon Fraser University, Canada), MBACarey Pike (BSc University of Cape Town, South Africa), MSc (C) PharmacologyNaomi Poltier (BA University of Exeter), MSt Creative Writing (part-time)Angelos Prastitis (BA National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece), MSc (C) Computer ScienceFeng Qi (BEng Jiangsu University, China; MSc Beijing University, China), DPhil Clinical NeurosciencesPrakash Ranjan (BA, MEng Madras Institute of Technology, India), MBASachhyam Regmi (BA Moravian College, USA), MBAMiguel Renteria Rodriguez (BSc Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico; PhD University of Queensland, Australia), Master of Public PolicyGeorge Roberts (MSci University of Nottingham), DPhil Biomedical ImagingRosa Maria Romero (MD Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain), MSc (C) Surgical Science & Practice (part-time)Nastaran Rooeen (BA University of Brighton), PGCE EnglishRonan Royston (BEng University of Limerick, Ireland), MSc (R) Engineering ScienceMabel Rubadiri (BA United States International University Africa, Kenya), MSc (C) African StudiesSimone Rubinacci (BSc, MSc University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy), DPhil Systems BiologyYuria Saavedra Alvarez (LLB, PhD National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico; LLM University of Utrecht, Netherlands), MSc (C) Criminology & Criminal Justice
Nikhil Saigal (BA University of Delhi, India), MBASophia Saller (MMath St Catherine’s), DPhil Mathematics *Olivia Sanchez (BA, PGCE King’s College London), MSc (C) Learning & Teaching (part-time)Emily Savage (BA, BSc Chaminade University of Honolulu, USA), MSc (C) Criminology & Criminal JusticeHannah Schaller (BA Biola University, USA), MSt English (1700-1830)Natalia Schlossberg (BA Staffordshire University), MSt History of Design (part-time)Carina Schwarz (LLB, MA Buceris Law School, Germany), MJurisSanvit Shah (BEng Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, India), MSc (C) Contemporary IndiaAnkita Shanker (LLB University of Reading), BCLJay Shiao (BSc Northwestern University, USA; MD, MPH University of Texas, USA), MSc (C) Radiation BiologyYosef Singer (BEng, BSc University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; MSc St Catherine’s), DPhil Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics *Preman Singh (MB BS Vellore Christian Medical College, India; MSc Universite Laval, Canada), MSc (C) Experimental Therapeutics (part-time)Clare Smedley (BA St Catherine’s), 2nd BM *David Smith (BSc University of Portsmouth), DPhil Clinical MedicineYang Song (BA Mount Holyoke College, USA), MSc (C) Latin American StudiesMaria Springer (BA University of California Los Angeles, USA), MBAEliana Tacconi (BA St John’s College, Oxford), 1st BM (Graduate Entry)Michael Tai (BA St Catherine’s), 2nd BM *Eastina Yiting Tan (BA University of York), Master of Public PolicyFergus Taylor (BA University College London; MSt Regent’s Park College, Oxford), MSt Literature & Arts (part-time)Isaac Thimbleby (BSc Newcastle University; MRes Swansea University), DPhil PsychiatryIva Trenevska (BSc, MSc University College London), DPhil Medical SciencesErica Tso (BA Smith College, USA; MSc St Cross College, Oxford), MSt History of Design (part-time)Liwen Tu (BA Nanjing University, China; MPhil Wolfson College, Oxford), DPhil Oriental StudiesLuke Turner (BA St Catherine’s), 2nd BM *Nora Turoman (BSc Cardiff Metropolitan University East Asia Institute of Management, Singapore), MSc (C) Psychological ResearchAbigail Tyer (MBiochem Exeter College, Oxford), 1st BM (Graduate Entry)Mikesh Udani (MSc Indian Institute of Technology, India), MSc (C) Computer Science
G A Z E T T E
7 6 / A D M I S S I O N S 2 0 1 5
Victor van Dooren (BSc Amsterdam University College, Netherlands), MSc (C) Biodiversity, Conservation & ManagementRegina Vathi (BA, MSc Epoka University, Albania), MSc (C) Sustainable Urban Development (part-time)Irene Veng (BA Royal Holloway, University of London), MSc (C) Contemporary Chinese StudiesCara Volpe (BA University of Virginia, USA), MBAJingjing Wang (BA, LLB University of Auckland, New Zealand; MSc St Catherine’s), Master of Public Policy *Yixin Wang (BSc George Washington University, USA), MSc (C) Financial EconomicsFrances Watson (BA The Queen’s College, Oxford; MA Oxford Brookes University), DPhil MusicJoseph Watson (BMus, MA King’s College London), MSt History of Design (part-time)Daniel White (BSc Liverpool John Moores University; PGCE Aston University), MSc (C) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (part-time)
Ke Xu (BEng Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; MSc London School of Economics and Political Science), MSc (C) Mathematical Finance (part-time)Zhaoli Xu (BSc Wuhan University of Technology, China; MSc University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), MBAAssma Youssef (BA University of Birmingham), MSt Women’s StudiesFeifan Yu (BSc Imperial College London), MSc (C) Applied StatisticsJake Yudelowitz (BSc Imperial College London), MSc (C) Mathematical Modelling & Scientific ComputingVasilios Zafeiris (BSc University of Piraeus, Greece), Executive MBA (part-time)Soumia Zeghida (Institut Nationale de Sciences Appliquees de Lyon, France), Visiting Graduate Student in BiochemistryPaige Zelinsky (BA New York University, USA), MSc (C) Sustainable Urban Development (part-time)Qiankai Zhao (BSc University of Warwick), MSc (C) Applied Statistics
Florian Zobel (BSc Universitat Salzburg, Austria), MSc (R) Biochemistry* indicates graduate of the College
Admitted to the Fellowship
Kallol Gupta as a Junior Research Fellow in ChemistryVictor Prisacariu as a Junior Research Fellow in Engineering ScienceMark Senn as a Junior Research Fellow in ChemistryEwa Kociszewska as a Junior Research Fellow in Modern LanguagesAmmara Maqsood as a Junior Research Fellowship in AnthropologyShimon Whiteson as a Tutorial Fellow in Computer ScienceAmanda Power as the Sullivan Tutorial Fellow in HistoryJessica Goodman as a Tutorial Fellow in French
Andrew J Dickinson, BCL, MA
Tutor in Law
Professor of Law
Ian P J Shipsey, (BSc Lond,
PhD Edin)
Professor of Experimental
Physics
Philip H S Torr, DPhil (BSc
S’ton)
Fellow by Special Election in
Engineering Science
Professor of Engineering
Science
Sumi Biswas, DPhil (BSc, MSc
Bangalore, MSc Lond)
Junior Research Fellow in
Medical Sciences
Fiona R McConnell (BA
Camb, MA, PhD Lond)
Tutor in Geography
Associate Professor in Human
Geography
Laura Tunbridge, BA (MA
Nott, PhD Princeton)
Tutor in Music
Henfrey Fellow
Associate Professor in Music
Salvador Mascarenhas (Lic
Lisbon, MSc Amsterdam, PhD
New York)
Junior Research Fellow in
Philosophy
Anna Christina de Ozório
(Kia) Nobre, MA (BA Williams
College, MS, MPhil, PhD
Yale), FBA
Professor of Translational
Cognitive Neuroscience
Kallol Gupta (BSc, MSc
Presidency Calcutta, PhD
Indian Institute of Science)
Junior Research Fellow in
Chemistry
Victor A Prisacariu, DPhil
(BSc TU Iasi)
Junior Research Fellow in
Engineering Science
Mark S Senn (MChem Durh,
PhD Edin)
Junior Research Fellow in
Chemistry
Ewa M Kociszewska (MA,
PhD Warsaw)
Junior Research Fellow in
Modern
Languages
Ammara Maqsood, MPhil,
DPhil (BSc LUMS Lahore)
Junior Research Fellow in
Anthropology
Shimon A Whiteson, MA (BA
Rice, PhD UT Austin)
Tutor in Computer Science
Associate Professor in
Computer Science
Amanda Power, MA (BA
Sydney, PhD Camb)
Tutor in History
Sullivan Fellow
Sullivan Clarendon Associate
Professor in History
Jessica M Goodman, MA,
MSt, DPhil
Tutor in French
Associate Professor in French
HONORARY FELLOWS
Professor Sir Brian E F
Fender, Kt, CMG, MA (BSc,
PhD Lond)
Ruth Wolfson, Lady Wolfson
Professor Sir James L
Gowans, Kt, CBE, MA, DPhil,
FRCP, FRS
Sir Cameron A Mackintosh,
Kt
Sir Michael F Atiyah, OM,
Kt, MA (PhD Camb), FRS, FRSE
John Birt, The Rt Hon Lord
Birt of Liverpool, MA
Tom Phillips, CBE, MA,
RA, RE
Professor Sir Geoffrey
Allen, Kt (BSc, PhD Leeds),
FRS, FREng, FRSC, FInstP,
FIMMM
Professor Sir (Eric) Brian
Smith, Kt, MA, DSc (BSc, PhD
Liv), FRSC, CChem
Tan Sri Dato’ Seri A P
Arumugam, AP, CEng, FIEE,
FRAeS, FIMarEST, FinstD, PSM,
SSAP, SIMP, DSAP, DIMP
Peter Mandelson, The Rt
Hon Lord Mandelson of Foy &
Hartlepool, MA
Sir John E Walker, Kt, MA,
DPhil, FRS
Professor Noam Chomsky
(PhD Penn)
Nicholas H Stern, The Rt
Hon Lord Stern of Brentford,
DPhil (BA Camb), FBA
Raymond Plant, The Rt Hon
Lord Plant of Highfield, MA
(BA Lond, PhD Hull)
Professor David J Daniell,
MA (BA, MA Tübingen, PhD
Lond)
Professor Nicanor Parra
(Lic Chile)
Masaki Orita (LLB Tokyo)
Professor Joseph E Stiglitz
(PhD MIT), FBA
Sir Peter M Williams, Kt,
CBE, MA (PhD Camb), FREng,
FRS
Sir (Maurice) Victor Blank,
Kt, MA
Professor (Anthony) David
Yates, MA
Professor Ahmed Zewail
(BS, MS Alexandria, PhD
Penn)
Michael Billington, OBE, BA
Professor C N Ramachandra
Rao, MSc Banaras, PhD
Purdue, DSc Mysore, FRS
Professor Richard J
Carwardine, MA, DPhil, FBA
Mark H Getty, BA
Simon B A Winchester, OBE,
MA, FRGS, FGS
Professor Christopher P H
Brown, MA, Dipl (PhD Lond)
Professor John B
Goodenough, MA (PhD
Chicago)
Giles B Keating, MA
Peter W Galbraith, MA (AB
Harvard, JD Georgetown)
Professor Nigel J Hitchin,
MA, DPhil, FRS
Professor Graeme B Segal,
MA, DPhil (BSc Sydney), FRS
Vee Meng Shaw, BA (DLitt
Singapore)
Anthony W Henfrey, MA
DPhil
EMERITUS FELLOWS
Ernest L French, FHCIMA
Professor Donald H Perkins,
CBE, MA (PhD Lond), FRS
John W Martin, MA, DPhil
(MA, PhD, ScD Camb)
J Derek Davies, BCL, MA (LLB
Wales)
Professor Peter G M
Dickson, MA, DPhil, DLitt,
FBA
Bruce R Tolley, MA, DPhil
(MA Victoria Wellington)
Barrie E Juniper, MA, DPhil,
Secretary for Alumni
Henry C Bennet-Clark, MA
(BA Lond, PhD Camb)
Professor Daniel W Howe,
MA (PhD California)
Stephen J Sondheim (BA
Williams)
Sir Ian McKellen, Kt (BA
Camb)
Sir Alan Ayckbourn, Kt, CBE
Michael V Codron, CBE, MA
Sir Peter L Shaffer, Kt, CBE
(BA Camb), FRSL
Sir Richard C H Eyre, Kt, CBE
(BA Camb)
Thelma M B Holt, CBE
Dame Diana Rigg, DBE
Nicholas R Hytner (MA
Camb)
Stephen D Daldry (BA Sheff)
Professor Malcolm L H
Green, MA (PhD Lond), FRS
Sir Timothy M B Rice, Kt
Professor Gilliane C Sills,
MA (PhD Lond)
Patrick Marber, BA
Phyllida Lloyd, BA Birm
Professor G Ceri K Peach,
MA, DPhil
G Bruce Henning, MA (BA
Toronto, PhD Penn)
Professor Jose F Harris, MA
(PhD Camb), FBA
Sir Patrick H Stewart,
Kt, OBE
Michael Frayn, CLit, BA
Camb
Professor John R Ockendon,
MA, DPhil, FRS
Revd Colin P Thompson,
MA, DPhil
Sir Trevor R Nunn, Kt, CBE
(BA Camb)
Meera Syal, CBE (BA Manc)
Professor Sudhir Anand,
BPhil, MA, DPhil
Sir J Michael Boyd, MA Edin
Professor Peter R Franklin,
MA (BA, DPhil York)
Gordon Gancz, BM BCh, MA
Professor Richard J Parish,
MA, DPhil (BA Newc), Dean
of Degrees
Professor Susan C Cooper,
MA (BA Collby Maine, PhD
California)
DOMUS FELLOWS
Sir Patrick J S Sergeant
Melvyn Bragg, The Rt Hon
Bragg of Wigton, MA
Bruce G Smith, CBE, MA,
DPhil, FREng, FIET
Keith Clark, BCL, MA
Roushan Arumugam, MA
Usha Q Arumugam, MA
Nadia Q Arumugam, MA
Simon F A Clark, MA
Marshall P Cloyd, BSc
Southern Methodist
University, MSc Stanford,
MBA Harvard
Søren H S Dyssegaard (MSc
Columbia)
Surojit Ghosh, DPhil (BA
Antioch Ohio, MA Toronto)
Susan M Ghosh, MA (MBA,
City, MA, PhD Lond)
Mary J Henfrey
Y W Wilfred Wong (BSocSci
Hong Kong, MPA Harvard)
VISITING FELLOWS
*Professor Derek Attridge,
University of York, H16
Professor Catherine
Bradley, State University of
New York, M15
Professor David Peters
Corbett, University of East
Anglia, H16
*Professor Ken Dill
(Hinshelwood Lecturer),
Stony Brook University, H16
Dr Sune Haugbolle, Roskilde
University, M15
Dr Elaine Ho, National
University of Singapore, M15
Dr Megan Leitch, Cardiff
University, M15
Dr Duncan Wheeler,
University of Leeds, T16
* Christensen Fellow
RESEARCH ASSOCIATES
Roger Gundle, BM BCh, DPhil
(MA Camb), FRCS (Eng), FRCS
(Orth)
James R McBain, MPhil,
DPhil (BA Dubl)
Axel Moeller (LLB Cape
Town, MLB, Dr iur Bucerius),
Max Planck Visiting Fellow
Frank Haselbach (PhD, Dipl
TU Berlin)
Master and Fellows 2015
St Catherine’s College . Oxford
Development Office
St Catherine’s College
Oxford OX1 3UJ
UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 1865 271 760
Email: [email protected]
www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk
www.facebook.com/stcatz
www.twitter.com/St_Catz
www.linkedin.com
(search ‘St Catherine’s College, Oxford’)
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EDITED BY EMILY MOSS
Did you know that?
We are the largest mixed (undergraduate and graduate) college in Oxford with over
800students
We have over
12,000 living alumni
Our roots stretch back to 1868as the ‘Delegacy for Unattached Students’
Our buildings, designed by
Arne Jacobsenare Grade 1 listed –
some of the first post-war buildings to be given
this status.
Our students can have a 3 course meal in Hall for
£4.05
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