Two Trinity Fellows and a former Fellow have been recognised with prestigious Breakthrough and New Horizon Prizes for Fundamental Physics, Life Sciences and Mathematics.

Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian (e1994) shared a 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences with Christ’s Fellow Professor David Klenerman and Pascal Mayer, from the company Alphanosos ‘for the development of a robust and affordable method to determine DNA sequences on a massive scale, which has transformed the practice of science and medicine.’

Professor Jack Thorne (2021) received a 2022 New Horizons Mathematics Prize, ‘for transformative contributions to diverse areas of algebraic number theory, and in particular for the proof, in collaboration with James Newton, of the automorphy of all symmetric powers of a holomorphic modular newform. Professor Suchitra Sebastian, Fellow of Trinity from 2005-2009, was awarded a 2022 New Horizons Physics Prize ‘for high precision electronic and magnetic measurements that have profoundly changed our understanding of high temperature superconductors and unconventional insulators.’ Read.

Earlier this month, Trinity welcomed the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, for a visit to the College to meet the Master, Dame Sally Davies (e2019) and the President of the TCSU, Serena Cole (2019), including a special viewing of some US-related treasures from the Wren Library. Read.

Congratulations to computer science students Fredrik Ekholm (2020) and Euan Ong (2020) who have won prizes in the 2021 edition of the Country 2 Country Capture The Flag (C2C-CTF) cybersecurity competition. Featuring 155 participants from four continents, the competition was originally called ‘Cambridge 2 Cambridge’ and was created in 2015 by Fellow Professor Frank Stajano (e2015) with Dr Howie Shrobe and Lori Glover JD of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Read.

Catherine Edwards (1982), Professor of Classics & Ancient History, Birkbeck University of London, was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in July 2021. Professor Edwards joins 83 other new Fellows who have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to the SHAPE subjects – the social sciences, humanities and the arts. Read.

TELETHON 2021

We want to thank all our alumni who have taken the time to speak with our fantastic team of student callers during our ongoing telethon. Our students have loved hearing your Trinity stories and sharing their experiences with you.

Thanks also to the many generous alumni who have made a donation to the College during this campaign. Our students will still be calling for another couple of days, so if they call you please do take the time to have a chat with them if you can, and if you want to discover more about the difference your support can make please visit the website. Read.

MEET THE JRFs

Read the two latest Q&As in our series with new Trinity Junior Research Fellows who will be joining the College in October 2021:

• Dr Rory Gregson, Fellowship in Law. Read.
• Dr Oliver Janzer, Fellowship in Mathematics. Read.

ANNUAL GATHERINGS

Thank you to all alumni who returned to Trinity for their Annual Gatherings earlier this month – it was such a treat to see you all again!

On 11 September we welcomed back alumni from 2008, 2009 and 2020, and on 15 September it was the turn of alumni who matriculated in 1965, 1966 and 1967. You can read about the Gatherings, watch a short film, and see photos from these very happy occasions on the website. Read.

Congratulations to journalist Cornelius Dieckmann (2018) who has been awarded the John Updike Review’s fifth Emerging Writers Prize, for his essay ‘Too Old to Be Educated: John Updike’s Rabbit Angstrom Tetralogy as Post-Bildungsroman’. The Prize is awarded for an outstanding essay submitted by a writer who is under forty years of age. Cornelius’ essay was written at Trinity in 2019 for his American Literature MPhil dissertation. To read the prize-winning piece please click here.

ALUMNI BOOKSHELF

• Peter Bryant (1982) –  Augmented Humanity, published by Palgrave Macmillan, September 2021.
• Victoria Dowd (1990) – The Supper Club Murders, published by Joffe Books, 7 September 2021.
• Tristram Hunt (1992) – The Radical Potter: Josiah Wedgwood and the Transformation of Britain, published by Allen Lane, 2 September 2021.
• Richard Osman (1989) – The Man Who Died Twice, published by Viking, 16 September 2021.
• David Runciman (1985) – Confronting Leviathan: A History of Ideas, published by Profile Books, 9 September 2021.

Former Trinity Organ Scholar Asher Oliver (2016) has this month joined York Minster as assistant organist. Read.

ALUMNI VISITS TO TRINITY

While the College remains closed to the general public, we are delighted that alumni may now visit Trinity’s external spaces.

You do not need to arrange your visit in advance, and you may bring a maximum of four guests. Please show your Trinity Members’ Card at the Porters’ Lodge, and you will be required to take a temperature check on arrival. If you have any questions please contact us.

Self-punting is also now available on production of your Members’ Card – the rule of six applies. Garrett Hostel Lane are offering chauffeur punts for up to six. The punts are accessed from outside the Brewhouse Gate and you will be required to sign in. For further information please contact the Puntman on 01223 338483.

Unfortunately, alumni dining and accommodation remain unavailable. We will let you know when the situation changes, and please do check the website for updates because this may change at short notice.

Vicky Ford MP (1986) has been appointed Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, from September 2021.

Professor Dilip Menon (1986) has been awarded a ‘Science Breakthrough of the Year 2021 in Social Sciences and Humanities’ prize by the Falling Walls Foundation, for his work on theory from the global south. Read.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY – EVENTS OPEN TO ALL ALUMNI

• Online: Trinity in Japan: Professor V S Ramachandran, Thursday 7 October, 1am BST/ 9am Tokyo time. REGISTER.
• Online: Trinity in Japan: Professor Heonik Kwon, Thursday 14 October, 11.15am BST/ 7.15pm Tokyo time. REGISTER.
• Online: Trinity in Japan: Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, Friday 22 October, 11.15am  BST/ 7.15 pm Tokyo time. REGISTER.
• Trinity: Remembrance Service, Sunday 14 November. SAVE THE DATE.
• Online: Trinity in Japan: Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Friday19 November, 10.15am GMT/ 7.15 pm Tokyo time. REGISTER.
• London: Alumni Carol Service, Monday 6 December. SAVE THE DATE.

We want to hear from you! Do keep us up-to-date with your latest achievements and activities for our Global Alumni News pages in The Fountain and the Alumni Achievements section in the Annual Record. Please send your news, appointments, and publications to: alumni-comms@trin.cam.ac.uk.

Please send your address updates to alumni@trin.cam.ac.uk. To unsubscribe from our monthly newsletter please contact alumni@trin.cam.ac.uk using the subject line: ‘Unsubscribe’. Please note: Your details are held in accordance with our Data Protection Policy. You may change your communication preferences at any time by writing to us at the email address below, and you can opt out of electronic communication with Trinity College by emailing alumni@trin.cam.ac.uk, using the subject line ‘Unsubscribe’.

Header image: Catching up at the Annual Gathering for alumni who matriculated in 1965, 1966 or 1967, 15 September 2021. © Ian Olsson.