Civil War: A Letter from King Charles I
Dr Robin Darwall-Smith (1982, Classics), Archivist, takes us back to the dark days of the English Civil War, through a letter sent to the College by King Charles I. Read more.

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Special Adviser to the Prime Minister
Congratulations are due to James Carroll (2009, English), who was recently appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser for Partnerships. Find out more.

2025 Equality and Diversity Lecture
Alexandra Wilson (2013, PPE) is to deliver the University of Oxford Faculty of Law’s Annual Equality and Diversity Lecture for 2024-25 on 31 January. Further details.

New Year Honours 2025
Professor Nandini Das OBE (1997, English), Professor Ros Rickaby FRS OBE and Michelle Dyson (1989, History) were recognised in the New Year Honours. Find out more.

Publications by Old Members
Enjoy the latest round-up of publications by Old Members.

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ICLARS 2024 – University of Notre Dame
Thanks to the support of the Univ Old Members’ Trust Graduate Conference and Academic Travel Fund, Nathaniel Hodson (2022, DPhil Theology and Religion) had the privilege of presenting at the International Consortium for Law and Religion Studies 2024 Conference at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, USA. Read the report.

SMA Student Colloquium 2024
Willa Stonecipher (2024, MSt History – Medieval History) attended the Society for Medieval Archaeology Student Colloquium 2024 at the University of Leicester in November 2024, thanks to the Univ Old Members’ Trust Graduate Conference and Academic Travel Fund. Read a report.

Trip to IgrayUchi summer language school
Natalie Navarrete (2023, MPhil Russian and East European Studies) reports on her visit to the “IgrayUchi” Russian language school in Tashkent, Uzbekistan supported by Univ’s Graduate Research Training Fund. Read it here.

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Please note some of these items link to external sites.

UNIQ+ research internships 2025
Applications are now open for the University’s 2025 UNIQ+ postgraduate research internships. Read more.

Old Members

• Maria Ordovas-Montanes (2015, Interdisciplinary Bioscience) produced her first podcast episode “Out There” in 2023-2024, exploring big questions through intimate stories outdoors. Out There: Exploring big questions through intimate stories in the outdoors.

• Pireeni Sundaralingam (1986, Experimental Psychology), College Poet Laureate, published the following interdisciplinary book chapters  in the intersection between science and the arts, exploring what neuroscience can tell us about the shaping of politics and society:

“The Narrative Machine: Profits, Brains, & the Reshaping of our Public Space” in the book New Narratives on the Peopling of America edited by A. Aleinikoff and A. Alsonso (Johns Hopkins Press, 2024).

“Designing with the Brain in Mind: Implementing neuroscience-based design principles” in the book Cultivating Futures Thinking in Museums edited by Kristin Alford, (Routledge, 2024).

“Transcendence: Physical Sculpture & the Brain in a Time of AI”, Catalogue for Unseen: Anish Kapoor Retrospective: Arken Museum of Contemporary Art, Strandberg Publishing, Copenhagen, Denmark 2024).

• Dr Frank Thurmond (1990, English) wrote and produced The Forms of Things Unknown, a compelling short film inspired by his experience with his mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s. The film premiered at the Made in Arkansas Film Festival in May 2024.

Fellows

• Professor Ruth Chang, Professorial Fellow, appeared briefly on the BBC mockumentary series, Cunk on Life in December 2024 presented by Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan), discussing philosophy. The programme is available on BBC iPlayer (Professor Chang appears at 42:55). Please note there is some strong language in the programme which some people may find offensive.

• Professor Sarah Harper CBE, Univ Supernumerary Fellow, Clore Professor of Gerontology and Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, commented on declining birth rates and ageing populations on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on 1 January 2025. Listen on BBC Sounds (Clip starts at 1:41:45).

For more news from our academics, please see the 2024 issue of The Record.