News

The Christ Church community would like to extend its condolences to the family of Ian Blair, The Lord Blair of Boughton QPM, who has died at the age of 72. Lord Blair, an alumnus and Honorary Student (fellow) of Christ Church, served as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 2005 to 2008.

A new study by an international team of researchers including Christ Church’s Simon Dadson, Professor in Physical Geography at the University of Oxford, exposes the stark reality of the impact of rising global temperatures on the size and severity of droughts across the globe. Published in Nature, the paper lays bare the extent to which climate change is increasing the frequency, duration and coverage of droughts by driving up atmospheric thirst.

On Wednesday 25 June, Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Senior Associate Research Fellow at Christ Church and Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, was the first of three expert speakers convened at Oxford’s Town Hall for the public event ‘Preparation and pandemics: confronting new threats’. The second in a series of lectures taking place across the globe to mark the 500th Anniversary of the founding of Christ Church, Professor Gilbert was joined by the Director of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute Professor Sir Peter Horby and DPhil candidate in Clinical Medicine Md Zakiul Hassan for a wide-ranging discussion of the power of university–industry collaborations in the battle to beat Nipah virus, the wider global threat of infectious diseases, and the need for pandemic preparedness. The event was chaired by Christ Church alumnus and BBC News Health Editor Hugh Pym (PPE, 1978).

The first feature film made by University of Oxford students was 1982’s Privileged, and launched the careers of Hugh Grant and Rachel Portman. When 40 years later Christ Church’s Max Morgan and his fellow Oxford English undergraduate Jemima Chen met the film's director and producer at an anniversary screening, their conversation sparked an idea. Three years on and we have Breakwater. Directed by Max and produced by Jemima, Oxford’s second student feature is up for more awards than any other nominee at this year’s Raindance – the UK’s premier independent film festival that concludes tomorrow.

At a ceremony in Kingston, Jamaica on 31 May, 43 young Jamaicans were recognised for their exceptional achievements in an array of fields – from academia, innovation and entrepreneurship to journalism, sport and environmental protection. They received the Caribbean nation’s highest accolade for under-30s: the Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards for Excellence. Among those honoured was Christ Church graduate student Nahjae Nunes.

During the Easter vacation, Christ Church DPhil candidate and GCR President Jagyoseni Mandal travelled to India’s historic University of Calcutta. She had been invited to deliver the first lecture following the inauguration of the Centre for Translation and Literary Geography – an institute established ‘to initiate a dialogue between geography, culture, and the concept of space, with the long-standing tradition of translation in India.’

Through its annual Junior Chef of the Year competition, the City of Oxford Guild of Chefs celebrates excellence exhibited by early-career chefs across the Oxfordshire area, showcasing their talent and providing them with recognition within their industry. Among the winners this year was Christ Church Commis Chef Gretel Nava, who took the prize for the best plant-based canapé. 

Three years ago, over a Thai takeaway, a group of students met in Christ Church’s Graduate Common Room. They had not met because of shared perspectives or beliefs – indeed, they were there precisely because of their competing worldviews. Though they were not like-minded, they were like-hearted, each having a desire to listen to and understand others more deeply.

A project led by the Oxford Nuffield Department of Medicine’s Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KMRI) has been celebrated at the 2025 Vice-Chancellor’s Awards. Represented by Christ Church’s Professor Mike English, the international team received the Vice-Chancellor’s Research Engagement Award at a ceremony in the Sheldonian Theatre on 15 May.

Koushikk Ayyappan, a fourth-year student of Clinical Medicine at Christ Church, has received the 2025 John Potter Essay Prize for his paper ‘Measuring glymphatic function: assessing the toolkit’. The annual prize is open to clinical students at the University of Oxford who are preparing for their second Bachelor of Medicine examinations, and is awarded for an essay on a neurosurgical, neurological, or neuropathological topic.

On Thursday 8 May, Professor Irene Tracey CBE FRS FRCA FMedSci MAE, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and an Honorary Student of Christ Church, delivered a speech to London’s Royal Society entitled ‘The Critical Role of Higher Education in Shaping Tomorrow’s World’. The first in a series of lectures taking place across the globe to mark the 500th Anniversary of the founding of Christ Church, Professor Tracey began the presentation with a question: ‘What does the next 500 years look like?’

Christ Church, University of Oxford is delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Christopher Tower Poetry Competition, the most lucrative prize for young poets (16–18) in the UK.

Last month, the 18th International Roman Law Moot Court (IRLMC) was held at the University of Oxford. Since 2008, the annual competition has brought together undergraduate teams and academics from eight leading European universities to conduct research and present legal arguments on complex issues of Roman private law. The Moot offers talented students the opportunity to showcase their skills internationally and promotes ties between legal systems based on the Roman legal tradition like those in continental Europe and those that are not, such as the common law systems of England and Australia.

On Friday 25 April, Christ Church was honoured to receive a delegation from Ukraine, led by the nation’s Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko and Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak. The ministers visited the College to learn about SHIELD, an FCDO-funded research initiative overseen by Christ Church’s Professor Stephanie Hirmer that focuses on assessing the potential of green hydrogen and ammonia within Ukraine’s energy system. They also took the opportunity to meet with current University of Oxford students from Ukraine.

Yesterday we were delighted to celebrate over ten years of support provided by a local learning centre to young people in Oxford. The centre, operated by the national charity IntoUniversity in collaboration with Christ Church and the University of Oxford, was officially launched in Blackbird Leys in February 2014 and has since supported more than 5,800 young people from the local area through academic support sessions, workshops, mentoring and university visits.

Last month leading policymakers, researchers and practitioners from the energy and transport infrastructure sectors gathered at the Christ Church Research Centre for an informative and impactful workshop on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in Energy and Transport Infrastructure. Convened by Climate Compatible Growth, the event brought together voices from policymaking, finance, academia, international development and civil society organisations to explore how infrastructure projects can better serve diverse communities.

From 8 to 10 April, Christ Church hosted a conference bringing together members of the Queer Kinship Network. The international research group is led by Christ Church Tutor in Modern Languages Professor Charlotte Ross, together with Professor Silvia Antosa of Università per Stranieri di Siena and Professor Paolo Frascà of the University of Toronto. We caught up with Professor Ross to learn more. 

Dr Sarah Birkhoelzer, a DPhil student in Medical Sciences at Christ Church, proudly represented the College at last month’s American College of Cardiology (ACC) Conference – one of the most prestigious international cardiology meetings. Dr Birkhoelzer, who is also a Cardiology Registrar and Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, presented innovative research into the use of advanced imaging techniques to assess heart function.

London’s Cypriot High Commission recently hosted a panel discussion on the topic of peace-making in Cyprus, filmed by Hellenic TV. Among those scholars on the panel was Christ Church Geography undergraduate Ethan Chandler, who was invited to share the findings of research conducted in Cyprus for his third-year dissertation.

The Trinidadian–Scottish poet Professor Anthony Vahni Capildeo FRSL, a former English student at Christ Church, has been announced as one of eight winners of this year’s Windham-Campbell Prize. Through the prize – one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards – Yale University honours writers from across the globe for their exceptional achievements and promise, giving each $175,000 to support their continued work.

A recent publication in leading science journal Nature Communications offers novel insights into the function of star-like cells – or ‘astrocytes’ – in the brain, and how they govern the function of brain nerve cells. The article is the product of interdisciplinary collaboration between University of Oxford researchers, including two Christ Church academics, Tutor in Medicine Professor Stephanie Cragg and Tutor in Mathematics Professor Kevin McGerty. 

For well over a decade our Head Gardener John James has maintained and enriched our precious green spaces, leading our Gardens Team through a period of change in which sustainability and nature have taken centre stage. His work has brought joy to thousands of students and staff members who have delighted in the beauty of our gardens, and to millions of visitors from across the globe who have wandered and relaxed in Christ Church Meadow over the years. 

After 13 years of service, John has decided that the time is right to retire. Read on for some of his career highlights.

A recording has been released of Christ Church alumnus Charlie Lovell-Jones (2017, Music) performing the work of another alumnus: celebrated composer Sir William Walton (1902–83). The recording features Lovell-Jones as the soloist in Walton's Violin Concerto, joined by the Sinfonia of London and conductor John Wilson. 

The Oxford Torpids is one of two annual series of rowing 'bumps' between University of Oxford colleges: races in which each boat strives to catch up with and bump the boat ahead, while avoiding being caught by a pursuing boat. This year's Torpids took place from 26 February to 1 March and saw teams from every Oxford college speed along a 1,500m stretch of the River Isis. Tom Harris, second-year student of Law at Christ Church and member of our Men's First VIII, describes his experience of the four-day event. 

On 28 February Muslims the world over began observing Ramadan, a month of prayer, fasting and reflection. At Christ Church, we marked the beginning of the holy month with our very first Iftar – an evening meal that breaks the daily fast. The main organiser of the event, fourth-year student of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Mikyle Ossman, tells us more.

Every year Christ Church holds Arts Week, six days of culture and entertainment centred around the work of our very own Fine Art students. A couple of weeks on from Arts Week 2025, undergraduate Arts Rep Neha Jamal tells us what went on this year.  

A paper on molecular dynamics by two Christ Church academics has appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics. The article, concerning the behaviour of microscopic particles in suspensions, is the product of collaboration between Christ Church’s Dr Clare Rees-Zimmerman and Professor Dirk Aarts, together with researchers from the Complutense University of Madrid and Durham University. 

UK LGBT+ History Month was established in 2005 and has been celebrated each February for the past 20 years, offering a chance to recognise the tremendous contributions of LGBT+ people to all areas of life throughout history. As February 2025 drew to a close, we caught up with our undergraduate LGBTQ+ Representatives Cathryn Head and Vita Bannister to find out how the occasion was marked at Christ Church.