St John's College Alumni eNewsletter - September 2024

College and Alumni News for September 2024

Professor Philip Maini awarded Sylvester Medal 

Professor Philip Maini FRS has been awarded the Sylvester Medal by the Royal Society for his contributions to mathematical biology, especially the interdisciplinary modelling of biomedical phenomena and systems.

The annual Royal Society Awards recognise exceptional research achievements through a series of prestigious medals and prizes. The Sylvester Medal is awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of mathematics.

Read more Professor Philip Maini's research here

College News

Outstanding Service in Mentorship Award

Congratulations to Professor Katherine Southwood on being awarded the 'Outstanding Service in Mentorship Award' by The Society of Biblical Literature's Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession. 

Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society

The Royal Historical Society Council has elected 221 new Fellows, Associate Fellows, Members and Postgraduate Members. Among them our Special Collections Photographer, Sophie Bacchus-Waterman!

Visiting Scholars, Summer 2024

This year, St John's has awarded five scholarships to senior academics in History, Comparative Literature, Law, Mathematics, and Engineering. 

EMBO Membership

Professor Zoltán Molnár has been elected as a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). 

Alumni News

Invictus Games

Dr Sam May (2011, Medicine) has been selected as a member of Team UK to compete in the Invictus Games 2025 in Vancouver and Whistler. Good luck Sam!

The Great Transformation

Riad al Khouri (1968, Economics) shares his thoughts on Karl Polanyi's 1944 work The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. 

Lifetime Achievement Award

Professor Chris Brewin (1972, Psychology), University College London, has been chosen to receive the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies. 

Just Kieran - If This Is A Man

Kieran Fitzpatrick (2017, History) has released his first original single. If This Is A Man asks how we navigate our feelings in a world that produces so much suffering and about which we can effect so little direct change. 

St John's Alumnus at Yale

Harry Hatwell (2016, Jurisprudence) is excited to be studying at Yale for a year from August 2024 and would be delighted to connect with alumni far and wide in North America.

Friends of the Fifties Lunch 2024

Calling all 1950s alumni! We are pleased to share an invitation to an annual Friends of the Fifties Lunch from Graham Laurie (1958, English) and Henry Amar (1957, PPE):

For the past 17 years a group of St John’s Alumni who matriculated in the 1950s have held an annual lunch in London.

Details of this year’s Lunch are as follows:

Date & Time:  Wednesday 20th November 2024,   12.30pm for 1pm

Location: The Savile Club,  69 Brook Street,  London  W1K 4ER

Dress Code:  Jacket & Tie

Cost:  £105 for a champagne reception and a 3 course lunch

We hope you will decide to attend this convivial occasion, in which case please confirm to one of the undersigned organisers.

A One Night Revival of The Shindig 1984

Calling all 1980s alumni! We are pleased to share an invitation to the 40th anniversary of The Shindig from Ben Page (1983, Modern History):

Saturday 2 November 2024  8pm Cape of Good Hope 
It’s the news you’ve all been waiting for. Cast your minds back to October of 1984 when every Thursday, upstairs at the Cape of Good Hope pub on Magdalen roundabout, the legendary Shindig club holds its weekly residency, promising a mad mash up of punk, reggae and funk (and the odd Nina Simone tune) to a packed crowd of happy punters. Now forty years on we’re back! 

Come and join orginal DJs Justin and Ben back at the Cape of Good Hope as they dust down their vinyl collection for Saturday 2nd November - playing indie, funk and reggae classics from the early 80s (and every decade in between). Expect everything from the Pogues and James Brown to New Order and Chic plus newer tunes from Daughters of the Shindig, Caitlin and Sadie who'll be bringing in a new crowd of youngsters to get the party going.  Lots of old faces, lots of new faces, lots of good times. (And free drinks for the first to arrive). 

Can’t wait to see you all there! 

Find our more here

Summit on Fundamental Challenges for AI

Dr Ruairidh Battleday (2011, Medicine) is excited to announce the Algorithmic Innovation and Entrepreneurship UK Summit on Fundamental Challenges for AI.

Date: 23rd and 24th of October 2024 

Location: Friends House, Euston, London 

Further information: www.algopreneurship.org

Alumni Events

Alumni Carol Service - SAVE THE DATE 

Saturday 14 December 2024

Alumni Publications

Professor Jeremy Black (1978, Modern History) 

Rethinking Geopolitics (Indiana University Press, 2024)

Introduction to Global Military History (Routledge, 2024)

Alumni Guest Room Bookings

Alumni can check availability, book and pay for rooms within Alumni House online. The booking system can be found on the Alumni Benefits page of our website. Rooms for 2025 are now available. 

To make a booking, you will need to enter a promotional code to identify yourself as an alumnus/a and this can be found in the monthly e-newsletter.

FAQ’s
Please click here to find answers to frequently asked questions, along with further details about the Alumni Guest Rooms.