Ben Willis (2023, DPhil History), WCR President

Ben Willis is President of the WCR for 2025-2026. He is a second-year DPhil History student and previously completed a BA and MPhil at Cambridge.

Why did you choose to complete a DPhil in History at Univ?
Honesty compels me to say that I didn’t apply to complete my DPhil at Univ! I was moved to Univ after receiving a scholarship offer. I am very happy to have ended up at here though and can’t imagine doing my DPhil anywhere else!

What attracted you to your field of research?
I have always found History interesting; it reminds us that life is driven by contingencies while also helping us explain why things are the way they are. I specifically work on American history, looking at how members of the Democratic Party in the nineteenth century thought about the future and the passage of time, and how that effected politics. American history and politics have always interested me. I think you’d be hard pressed to argue the US hasn’t been the most consequential nation of the last century or so, it really shaped the world we live in today. Even though I look at a period of history in which the US wasn’t a global superpower, I think it helps make sense of the country the USA would become and the world it continues to shape.

What do you enjoy most about the College and the community at Univ?
What I enjoy most about Univ is the genuine sense of community that permeates College life. There’s something truly special about how friendly and welcoming everyone is here, from the College staff to the fellows and students. It’s rare to simply pop in for lunch or dinner without getting wonderfully sidetracked by engaging conversations.

The staff at Univ are particularly lovely, and their warmth contributes enormously to the College’s welcoming atmosphere. This was really exemplified in seeing everyone come together for Team Univ in this year’s Town and Gown race. Having staff, fellows, and students all running together perfectly captured what makes this place so special. It’s those shared experiences, where everyone participates regardless of their circumstances, that create the bonds that make Univ feel like more than just a place to study.

Do you have any highlights from your time at Univ?
Last year I was lucky enough to go on the Chalet trip. The ten days spent in the shadow of Mont Blanc is a life highlight, let alone a Univ one! Especially our crossing the Tête Rousse glacier. I don’t think anything will top that, but you never know!

What do you hope to achieve as WCR President?
My main hope is to continue the good work of my predecessors. They did a great job revitalising the sense of community in the WCR after Covid and I hope to keep up their good work. Freshers’ week was a great success this year and our goal is to keep doing better with the next cohort of grads. I also hope to broaden the WCR community, looking to get more fourth and fifth year undergraduates, partners of graduate students, and others involved in the WCR community.

Principally, I just hope to help make everyone’s time at Univ as enjoyable and memorable as possible and to represent the graduate community as best I can.

What do you do to relax?
I enjoy playing sport. Since moving to Oxford, I’ve started to play Australian Rules Football and I also regularly play cricket. I’m trying to get into the habit of reading and writing for relaxation but that’s hard when the day job is also reading and writing! Lately I’ve been reading a lot of poetry, particularly Frank O’Hara. I also enjoy listening to music, particularly rock and funk, and have guitar that I don’t play often enough.

Describe Univ in three words
Old, welcoming, relaxing.