Medieval storytelling performance
On Wednesday 7 March, academic and storyteller Daisy Black visited Univ to perform her brilliant version of Yde and Olive, a remarkable thirteenth-century tale in which Yde dresses herself as a knight and cuts her own paths to freedom.

Neel Mukherjee at Univ
All members of the College were invited to an evening at Univ with critically-acclaimed, award-winning novelist Neel Mukherjee FRSL (1992, English Language and Literature) on 21 February 2025. He was interviewed by Professor Joe Moshenska, Beaverbrook and Bouverie Tutorial Fellow in English. Read more and watch the video here.

International Women’s Day 2025
To mark International Women’s Day 2025, we celebrate the women who continue to lead, teach, and inspire. In this video, Max, Manon, and Aliyyah, undergraduate students at Univ, reflect on the legacy of these inspiring women and the path they paved for future generations. Read more and watch the video here.

Univ launches its first online archive catalogue
Univ’s Archivist Dr Robin Darwall-Smith has overseen the creation of a new digital catalogue, which enables users to search easily for documents or items in Univ’s archival collections and provides a useful reference point for those wishing to send an enquiry to the Archivist, or to visit the Archives in person. Read more.

Opportunity Oxford celebrates milestone
In January 2025, the University of Oxford made 339 offers to prospective undergraduate students under the Opportunity Oxford programme, a programme modelled on the Univ Opportunity Programme. Read more.

Read all of Univ’s College news or explore Univ’s Treasures.

Unlocking some family secrets of the past
Paul Adler (1975, Physics) asked for Univ’s help to translate around sixty original letters, mostly handwritten in Czech during mid-1948 to his late Uncle Henry (1921-2007). Dr Rajendra Chitnis, Ivana and Pavel Tykač Supernumerary Fellow in Czech at Univ, agreed to lead the project, which took place between June and September 2024. Read more.

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

Read all of Univ’s Alumni news.

Read all of our Univ North news or visit our Univ North Page.

Colin Ford CBE
Colin Ford, CBE (1952, English) is one of the world’s leading photographic historians. Colin spent his life curating photography at some of the best-known museums in the world. He was the first curator of photography and film at the National Portrait Gallery and founded what was then called The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford. We explore his career and relationship with Univ further here.

Elisabeth Bouchard
Elisabeth (Lisi) Bouchard (2002, History) is a programme manager and policy professional in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She is also a trained executive coach and leadership facilitator. Lisi is dyslexic and has been interviewing neurodivergent leaders about what neurodiversity brings to leadership. Find out more.

Benjamin Tobin
Benjamin (Ben) Tobin is the newly appointed Head Porter at Univ. He oversees the College portering team at the Lodge and supports all members of the Univ community. Learn more here. 

Explore all of our Profile Features.

A look inside Univ’s student accommodation
Student Ellice created an informative video tour to give an example of student accommodation at Univ. Watch the video here.

New Zealand Travel Report
Will Clarke (2021, DPhil Theoretical Physics) has written a diary of his trip to New Zealand, which was supported by the Old Members’ Trust Graduate Conference and Academic Travel Fund.  Read more.

A Zimbabwean DPhil Experience at Univ
Gift Gwawawa, a Univ DPhil student in Oncology from Zimbabwe, shares his experience of moving across the world to study at Univ – facing challenges and embracing opportunities for growth. Watch the video here.

Life of an Oxford Biochemistry Student
Bara Cihlova, an MSc Biochemistry student at Univ, shares what it’s really like to study Biochemistry at Oxford and how she’s living her dream, turning her passion into a career. Watch the video here.

China Travel Diary 2024
Asha McGrogan (2021, English Language and Literature) has written about her experience of travelling around mainland China in the summer of 2024.  During her trip, which was supported by David and Lois Sykes, she visited 7 different cities over 34 days. Read more.

Read more Travel Reports.

Discover student-led Reviews.

Please note some of these items link to external sites.

Fellows and other academics

• Professor Tamsin Mather, Supernumerary Fellow, is appearing at this year’s Oxford Literary Festival. In Adventures in Volcanoland, Professor Mather talks about her travels to volcanoes across the globe and explains what these geological giants can teach us about our environment and climate change.

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

Old Members

• After two decades as Chief Executive at the Financial Times, John Ridding (1984, PPE) has stepped down from the position, bringing to a close his 30-years at the FT in both editorial and executive roles. Read more here.

• Chamber choir Commotio, which is led by founder and conductor Mathew Berry (1995, Music), returned to SJE Arts for a concert on 22 March.

• Professor Trish Greenhalgh (1980, Medicine), Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, published a review in the BMJ that found that there is no evidence for physician associates to work in the NHS. The review was featured both in The Telegraph and on Radio 4’s Today Programme. (54:26)

• Old Members appearing at this years Oxford Literary Festival are: Alastair Lack (1964, History) (N.B. All of Alastair’s tours have sold out!), Dr Steven Parissien (1978, History) and Dr Andrew Robinson (1975, Chemistry).

• Professor Mervyn Frost FKC (1972, Politics), Professor of International Relations, has been elected a Fellow of King’s College London.