St John's College Alumni eNewsletter - July 2026
Appointment of New Director of Development
The College is pleased to announce the appointment of a new Director of Development, Caroline Wallard. Caroline has joined us, having spent over 25 years working in alumni relations and development, including 17 years at her alma mater, the University of St Andrews. Ending her time there as Head of Development in 2021, Caroline has most recently been with The R&A (golf’s governing body) as their first Director of Philanthropy, creating a new programme for The R&A Foundation to enable greater investment in programmes globally that provide benefit for and through golf. Having now secured their first £12.5m, Caroline is delighted to be returning to higher education, which is where her passion lies.
‘I am delighted and hugely excited to be joining St John’s College this summer. Having worked in higher education through most of my career, I am passionate about its ability to transform the lives of individuals through the opportunities that it provides and the world through the knowledge that it fosters. I am looking forward to getting to know, and becoming part of the St John’s community, both in Oxford and around the world and playing a part in creating a thriving and inspirational future that builds on its great history'.
Please do get in touch via email at caroline.wallard@sjc.ox.ac.uk to introduce yourself.
Kristina McClendon is looking forward to returning to her original role as Deputy Director of Development. The College is immensely grateful for Kristina's outstanding contributions and dedication, and she is excited to continue building relationships with and meeting more members of our wonderful alumni community.
Alumni News and Publications
St John's College launches new Inspire Hub, made possible by alumnus Will Sentance
St John’s College has launched the Inspire Hub, an innovative new digital platform combining interactive learning, academic enrichment and study skills development in one accessible, easy-to-use platform for young people. The Hub has been made possible thanks to a generous gift of $150,000 from alumnus and technology entrepreneur Will Sentance (2007, Philosophy, Politics and Economics). For Sentance, supporting the development of the Inspire Hub was a decision rooted in his experience as a student at St John's, and his belief that exceptional education should be accessible no matter one's starting point. We are deeply appreciative of Will's extraordinary generosity and his enduring contribution to the St John's community.
Matthew Lindsey Clark awarded MBE for services to horticulture and philanthropy
Congratulations to Matthew Lindsey-Clark MBE (1981, Literae Humaniores), who was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to horticulture and philanthropy. Matthew has just stepped down as a Trustee of the Royal Horticultural Society after serving a maximum term of seven years as treasurer. He remains a trustee and treasurer of Classics for All, a charity dedicated to supporting the teaching of classics in state schools.
Dr Matthew Dryden awarded OBE for services to health
Congratulations to Dr Matthew Dryden OBE (1977, Clinical Medicine), who was appointed Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the King's Birthday Honours 2026 Overseas and International List. A leading expert in antimicrobial resistance and currently Consultant in Infection for the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) programme at UKHSA, Matthew has spent more than four decades improving patient care, shaping national and international infection control policy, and supporting responses to public health emergencies around the world.
Prelude by Alan Halliday (1975, History of Art)
Set in Oxford in the early 1970s, Alan Halliday's third novel, Prelude (Vanguard Press, 2025), follows James D'Arblay, a talented and good-looking but unreliable student whose fascination with Lord Byron draws him into a world of romance, poetry and self-discovery. Travelling to Venice with his friend Hobhouse to research Byron's years of exile in Venice from 1816 to 1819, D'Arblay becomes increasingly immersed in the poet's life, with often amusing and unexpected consequences!
Debut novel by Tony Barber (1978, Modern History)
Tony Barber's first novel, Eastern Reproaches, takes place in the early 1980s; Francis Merriman is a Western reporter assigned to work in Communist eastern Europe. Not yet 24, he experiences food shortages, secret police intimidation, murder and a nuclear accident, but also precious moments of love and friendship. Tony's career involved spells as a foreign correspondent for Reuters (1981-1989), the Independent (1990-1997) and the Financial Times (1997-2025).
St John's returns to North America this September
The College is excited to announce that the President and members of the St John's Development team (including Giles the Lamb) will be visiting alumni and friends across North America this September! The locations of the visit will likely include Toronto, Boston, New York and Washington DC.
The visit will take place between 11 - 17 September. Details will be confirmed in due course. Watch this space!
If you would like to meet with the President or members of the Development team specifically while they are in North America, please email kristina.mcclendon@sjc.ox.ac.uk. All other general enquiries related to our visit can be directed to alumni@sjc.ox.ac.uk.
College News
Professor Sir Roy Goode CBE KC DCL FBA
The College is very sad to announce the death of Sir Roy Goode CBE KC DCL FBA, Emeritus Fellow of St John’s and formerly Norton Rose Professor of English Law, on 24 June 2026 at the age of 93. Sir Roy came to Oxford in 1990 as Norton Rose Professor of English Law and Fellow of St John's, following a distinguished career at Queen Mary, University of London. After retiring in 1998, he remained an Emeritus Fellow of the College and continued an active scholarly life for many years. A memorial celebration will be held in the autumn.
Research by Kate Nation featured in a new report on the impact of reading
A new report published by Oxford University Press (OUP) highlights the powerful role reading plays in supporting children’s social and emotional development. The report features research by Professor Kate Nation, Maggie Snowling Tutorial Fellow in Psychology at St John’s, and her research group in the Department of Psychology. Kate’s research has shown that books expose children to a range of vocabulary and complex syntactic structures that they are unlikely to encounter in everyday conversation.
Professor James Maynard Appointed New Regius Professor of Mathematics
Professor James Maynard’s appointment as new Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University was approved by His Majesty The King on 1 July 2026. He will take up his new post in the Mathematical Institute in October 2026, and will also become a professorial fellow of Merton College. This chair is one of three Regius Professorships of Mathematics in the United Kingdom. Professor Maynard is known for his influential work in analytic number theory, particularly on the distribution of prime numbers.
The 2026 Mapleton-Bree Prize for Work in the Creative Arts
The Mapleton-Bree Prize is awarded annually for an original piece of work in any of the creative arts. As in previous years, the judging panel were enthused and impressed by the overall quality and quantity of entries, reflecting ‘how much wonderful creative work is going on in college’. With such an array of talent on display, the judges decided to split the prize equally between Joyce (Ruozhou) Wei (2023, Fine Art) and Dara Mohd (2024, Philosophy and Theology). Congratulations Joyce and Dara!
Celebrating Friendships That Began at St John's
'When I got back on the train after my admissions interviews, I was pretty sure I’d messed up on most of the questions I’d been asked, but I was also pretty sure I’d made a friend. I was interviewing for AMH and didn’t actually manage to bump into any other applicants for the subject, but I did meet Emily, who was interviewing for law. It being 1998, I had no easy way to contact her, so I just had to hope that we would both get an offer, and achieve the requisite grades, and so meet again the following October. As she tells it, she wasn’t really so sure we would hit it off. But I was right! We were close enough by matriculation to want to mark the moment together. My time at SJC gave me many gifts, but precious among those are the friends I made. We’ve never lived near each other since graduating but remain firm friends, seeing each other through both good and difficult times, dragging our children on joint holidays whenever we can manage it. Twenty-seven years later, at our gaudy in 2025 we decided to try and replicate that first photo'.
Ruth and Emily (1999)
We love hearing your St John’s stories, from treasured memories, romances and lifelong friendships to reunions and adventures since graduation. Share your story with us: alumni@sjc.ox.ac.uk.
Meeting Minds, 18 - 20 September 2026
Join us in Oxford to talk about how we are turning today's biggest challenges into tomorrow's boldest breakthroughs!
Held across three days and with flexible ticket options, Meeting Minds offers you the chance to join a wide array of events that include academic sessions, interactive workshops, tours, musical performances and family-friendly activities, along with drinks receptions and social events.
We are delighted that alumnus and Honorary Fellow Henry Dimbleby MBE, among other members of the St John's community, will be speaking at this year's event!
Alumni Events
North America Visit
11 - 17 September 2026
Friday 11 September 2026
Women's Network Dinner: 10th Anniversary
Saturday 19 September 2026
Thursday 24 September 2026
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