News

Our Gardens Team has taken the difficult step of removing a number of Black Poplar trees that have stood in Christ Church's New Walk for nearly a century, replacing them with Common Limes. Our Head Gardener John James explains why, and tells us about how the ambitious project has progressed. 

2024 began with great excitement at Christ Church when we learned that several of our alumni were listed in the latest New Year Honours List. Read on to learn about five of these remarkable individuals and their celebrated achievements and service. 

Christ Church DPhil candidate Serene Singh has been awarded the 2024–25 John Robert Lewis Fellowship. The prestigious fellowship, established by the Washington-based nonprofit Faith and Politics Institute (FPI), honours the legacy of the late US Representative and civil rights leader John Robert Lewis.

The result of a year-long research trial, a new report from Christ Church classicist Professor Arlene Holmes-Henderson and Classics Education Research Assistant Katrina Kelly reveals the effectiveness of the online learning platform Vocabulous in teaching primary and secondary school pupils word roots and empowering them to deploy this knowledge to decode unfamiliar English vocabulary. 

We are saddened to announce the death of our colleague and friend Professor Richard Peer Wayne FRSC (1938–2023), Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at Christ Church. Dr Martin Grossel reflects on Professor Wayne’s impressive career. 

Works of the Florentine Renaissance master painter and draughtsman Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510) have been lent by Christ Church to the Legion of Honor gallery in San Francisco. Jacqueline Thalmann, Curator of Christ Church Picture Gallery, explains the significance of these works and of the exhibition that runs until 11 February 2024. 

As 2023 draws to a close, our Head Gardener John James surveys the particularly vibrant autumn colours on display in our Meadow and gardens in recent months. 

A Financial Times review has heaped praise on Christ Church Picture Gallery's latest exhibition – Drawing in Colour. The display, curated by Curatorial Assistant Elania Pieragostini, brings together works from Christ Church’s permanent collection to explore how the masters of the Renaissance and the Baroque incorporated colour into the medium of drawing. 

Last night Presto Music announced the winners of its 2023 Awards. Among them was our very own Dr Leah Broad, whose book Quartet: How Four Women Changed the Musical World was celebrated as one of the Books of the Year. 

On Wednesday a group of volunteers including Christ Church students and staff braved the cold weather to help our Gardens Team plant wildflowers on a rather marshy Christ Church Meadow. Our Head Gardener John James reports on how the team got on. 

Julia Moore, a recent graduate of Christ Church, has been elected to a prestigious Fellowship by Examination at All Souls College. All Souls elects just two 'Prize Fellows' each year through a notoriously difficult competition open exclusively to recent University of Oxford graduates, often described as 'the hardest exam in the world.' 

Last week Dan Houser, Co-Creator of the iconic Grand Theft Auto franchise and alumnus of Christ Church (Geography, 1993), dropped in to deliver a talk to a room full of captivated Computer Science students. Dr Irwin Zaid, Lecturer in Computer Science at Christ Church, reports on what the gaming icon had to say. 

Disability History Month 2023 runs from 16 November to 16 December, and one distinguished speaker welcomed to Christ Church as part of this year’s celebrations was Darren Harris – dual Paralympian, bestselling author, and England’s most decorated and most capped blind footballer. 

Christ Church astrophysicist Professor Stephen Smartt recently made his way to Warwick, where he delivered a talk introducing pupils from a number of local schools to cutting-edge research in his field. The outreach event was part of the Encounters Programme founded by Christ Church alumnus John Jefferies (History, 1986).

A group of University of Oxford astrophysicists including Christ Church’s Professor Stephen Smartt has helped uncover a remarkable new space phenomenon that has scientists stumped. The team confirmed the occurrence of an exceptionally bright explosion 4.4 billion light-years away – an explosion that exhibits behaviour that has never before been observed. The exciting findings have been published in Nature. 

Christ Church is delighted to announce that Professor Irene Tracey CBE FRS FRCA FMedSci MAE has been elected to an Honorary Studentship. The election recognises her profound contribution to medical science and the collegiate University. 

Professor Stephen Smartt has played a key role in pinpointing the neutron star merger responsible for an intense gamma ray burst and in confirming that the merger formed a rare, heavy element. The exciting findings from Stephen and a global team of researchers have been published in Nature.

Christ Church DPhil candidate Holly Haines has become the first Oxford student to win both the George Humphrey Prize and the Oldfield Prize – each awarded for her outstanding work as part of the MSc in Psychological Research.

For the first time in more than a century, a new stained glass window has been constructed and installed in Christ Church Cathedral. The vibrant statement window was designed by celebrated artist John Reyntiens MBE and produced in London by the world-renowned Reyntiens Glass Studio. 

In recognition of her outstanding contribution to public health and science in her role as the Oxford Project Leader spearheading the development on the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London.