Fellows Directory
Honorary Fellows of the College
Heather Hancock
Master
Heather Hancock became Master-Elect of St John’s College in November 2019; her Mastership started in October 2020. Heather returns to St John’s having read Land Economy at the College as an undergraduate. Her career and personal interests have always revolved around urban and rural land-use, making places where people live, work, invest and enjoy, and environments that deliver public good.
Heather chaired the Food Standards Agency, a non-Ministerial government department, and regulator of the food and feed industries, from 2015-2020. Before this, she was a Managing Partner at Deloitte LLP, with UK leadership for innovation, brand and talent; she also served in Deloitte’s global senior leadership. Heather was a Strategy consultant, specialising in governance and strategy for novel ventures, and in complex programme leadership. She headed the firm’s global services to the Olympic movement. Prior to joining Deloitte in 2003, Heather held a series of CEO and senior civil service roles in the public sector, with a consistent theme of large-scale urban and rural regeneration and land management.
Heather was a Trustee of the Prince’s Trust, the UK’s biggest youth charity, for over a decade, chaired the BBC’s rural affairs committee from 2003-2010 and, in 2013-14, was commissioned by the BBC Trust to investigate and report on bias and impartiality in the BBC’s rural affairs coverage. She was Deputy Chair of the World Athletics Championships and Paralympic Athletics Championships from 2013-2016. Heather was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in the 2012 New Year Honours, and she is a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire. She currently holds a number of non-executive roles, including as a non-executive Director of Rural Solutions Ltd, and of Urban Logistics REIT plc.
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Master
Heather Hancock became Master-Elect of St John’s College in November 2019; her Mastership started in October 2020. Heather returns to St John’s having read Land Economy at the College as an undergraduate. Her career and personal interests have always revolved around urban and rural land-use, making places where people live, work, invest and enjoy, and environments that deliver public good.
Heather chaired the Food Standards Agency, a non-Ministerial government department, and regulator of the food and feed industries, from 2015-2020. Before this, she was a Managing Partner at Deloitte LLP, with UK leadership for innovation, brand and talent; she also served in Deloitte’s global senior leadership. Heather was a Strategy consultant, specialising in governance and strategy for novel ventures, and in complex programme leadership. She headed the firm’s global services to the Olympic movement. Prior to joining Deloitte in 2003, Heather held a series of CEO and senior civil service roles in the public sector, with a consistent theme of large-scale urban and rural regeneration and land management.
Heather was a Trustee of the Prince’s Trust, the UK’s biggest youth charity, for over a decade, chaired the BBC’s rural affairs committee from 2003-2010 and, in 2013-14, was commissioned by the BBC Trust to investigate and report on bias and impartiality in the BBC’s rural affairs coverage. She was Deputy Chair of the World Athletics Championships and Paralympic Athletics Championships from 2013-2016. Heather was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order in the 2012 New Year Honours, and she is a Deputy Lieutenant of North Yorkshire. She currently holds a number of non-executive roles, including as a non-executive Director of Rural Solutions Ltd, and of Urban Logistics REIT plc.
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Dr Steve A Edgley
President, Director of Studies Preclinical Medical and Veterinary studies, Part 1B, University Reader in Sensorimotor Neuroscience
Medical Science
Neuroscience
Neuroscience: Information processing in motor systems. Organisation and contribution to movement of the spinal cord, cerebellum and motor cortex.
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President, Director of Studies Preclinical Medical and Veterinary studies, Part 1B, University Reader in Sensorimotor Neuroscience
Medical Science
Neuroscience
Neuroscience: Information processing in motor systems. Organisation and contribution to movement of the spinal cord, cerebellum and motor cortex.
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Dr Ruth Heather Abbott
Director of Studies in English
English
My research focuses on textual scholarship and 18th and 19th century manuscripts, chiefly writers' notebooks, with a particular emphasis on compositional practices, reading practices (including the practice of reading aloud), research practices, the history of scholarship, and the organisation of knowledge.
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Director of Studies in English
English
My research focuses on textual scholarship and 18th and 19th century manuscripts, chiefly writers' notebooks, with a particular emphasis on compositional practices, reading practices (including the practice of reading aloud), research practices, the history of scholarship, and the organisation of knowledge.
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Dr Jean Abraham
Reader in Precision Breast Cancer Medicine
Medical Science
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Reader in Precision Breast Cancer Medicine
Medical Science
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Professor Albertina Albors-Llorens
College Lecturer in Law, Professor of European Union Law
Law
European Union Law, in particular EU remedies. Competition law in the European Union and the interface between Competition Law and Consumer Protection Law.
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College Lecturer in Law, Professor of European Union Law
Law
European Union Law, in particular EU remedies. Competition law in the European Union and the interface between Competition Law and Consumer Protection Law.
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Virgil Andrei
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Chemistry
My interests revolve around the development of renewable energy sources, such as photoelectrocatalysis, photovoltaics and thermoelectrics . Currently, I am working on scalable "artificial leaf" devices, which can split water to produce hydrogen, or reduce carbon dioxide to value-added products under solar light illumination. This interdisciplinary approach is fundamental for the wide-scale implementation of sustainable solar fuels.
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Natural Sciences (Physical)
Chemistry
My interests revolve around the development of renewable energy sources, such as photoelectrocatalysis, photovoltaics and thermoelectrics . Currently, I am working on scalable "artificial leaf" devices, which can split water to produce hydrogen, or reduce carbon dioxide to value-added products under solar light illumination. This interdisciplinary approach is fundamental for the wide-scale implementation of sustainable solar fuels.
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Dr Pierpaolo Antonello
College Lecturer in Italian, University Reader in Italian Literature and Culture
Modern and Medieval Languages
Italian
Twentieth century Italian writing and intellectual history, Futurism and the Avant-Garde, Literature and Science, Calvino, Postmodern Italian literature, French theory and epistemology (Girard, Serres).
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College Lecturer in Italian, University Reader in Italian Literature and Culture
Modern and Medieval Languages
Italian
Twentieth century Italian writing and intellectual history, Futurism and the Avant-Garde, Literature and Science, Calvino, Postmodern Italian literature, French theory and epistemology (Girard, Serres).
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Dr Neil S Arnold
College Lecturer and Director of Studies for Geography, University Lecturer in Geography and the Scott Polar Research Institute
Geography
The interactions between ice sheets, glaciers and climate at the present day, and in the past. Interactions between the hydrology and dynamics of glaciers. Mathematical models of these interactions. Development of computer-based, interactive teaching resources.
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College Lecturer and Director of Studies for Geography, University Lecturer in Geography and the Scott Polar Research Institute
Geography
The interactions between ice sheets, glaciers and climate at the present day, and in the past. Interactions between the hydrology and dynamics of glaciers. Mathematical models of these interactions. Development of computer-based, interactive teaching resources.
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Dr Andrew Arsan
Senior Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern History , College Lecturer, Director of Studies in History Part II (on leave until Michalemas 2020)
History
Middle Eastern History
Modern Middle Eastern history and world history.
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Senior Lecturer in Modern Middle Eastern History , College Lecturer, Director of Studies in History Part II (on leave until Michalemas 2020)
History
Middle Eastern History
Modern Middle Eastern history and world history.
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Professor Mete Atatüre
Director of Studies in Physics and Astrophysics, Director of Studies for Mathematics for Natural Sciences, College Lecturer in Physics, Tutor
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Physics
My research group's primary focus is on the optical control of solid-state based mesoscopic quantum systems for the goals of quantum information processing.
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Director of Studies in Physics and Astrophysics, Director of Studies for Mathematics for Natural Sciences, College Lecturer in Physics, Tutor
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Physics
My research group's primary focus is on the optical control of solid-state based mesoscopic quantum systems for the goals of quantum information processing.
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Dr Adam T Bales
Research Fellow in Philosophy
Philosophy
Decision Making
I am interested in the way that we do and should make decisions; in the role that regret and resolution play in our lives; and in the role of practical wisdom.
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Research Fellow in Philosophy
Philosophy
Decision Making
I am interested in the way that we do and should make decisions; in the role that regret and resolution play in our lives; and in the role of practical wisdom.
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Professor Graeme W W Barker
Director of Studies of Archaeology, Emeritus Disney Prof of Archaeology, Senior Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Archaeology
Archaeology
Prehistoric archaeology. Landscape and environmental archaeology. Transitions from foraging to farming.
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Director of Studies of Archaeology, Emeritus Disney Prof of Archaeology, Senior Fellow, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Archaeology
Archaeology
Prehistoric archaeology. Landscape and environmental archaeology. Transitions from foraging to farming.
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Professor Buzz Baum
Natural Science (Biological)
Cell biology
Professor Baum's research aims to better understand the evolution of eukaryotic cell shape and division, to determine how cells regulate their form, and to determine how these processes contribute to normal tissue development and omeostasis and, when they go awry, to the evolution of metastatic cancer.
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Natural Science (Biological)
Cell biology
Professor Baum's research aims to better understand the evolution of eukaryotic cell shape and division, to determine how cells regulate their form, and to determine how these processes contribute to normal tissue development and omeostasis and, when they go awry, to the evolution of metastatic cancer.
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Professor Tim P Bayliss-Smith
University Emeritus Professor of Pacific Geography
Geography
Tropical rainforest management, logging and indigenous social institutions in Solomon Islands and Fiji; agricultural intensification and population change in pre-colonial Melanesia.
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University Emeritus Professor of Pacific Geography
Geography
Tropical rainforest management, logging and indigenous social institutions in Solomon Islands and Fiji; agricultural intensification and population change in pre-colonial Melanesia.
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Professor H Richard L Beadle
College Lecturer in English , Director of Studies in English (Part II)
English
Medieval English Literature, early history of European drama. Palaeography, textual and editorial studies, the history of the book.
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College Lecturer in English , Director of Studies in English (Part II)
English
Medieval English Literature, early history of European drama. Palaeography, textual and editorial studies, the history of the book.
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Professor Serena M Best
College Lecturer in Materials Science and Metallurgy, Professor of Materials Science
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Materials Science
The production and characterisation of ceramic materials for medical application. The evaluation of bioactive materials for bone replacement and bone repair. The development of a new generation of pharmaceutical biomaterials.
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College Lecturer in Materials Science and Metallurgy, Professor of Materials Science
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Materials Science
The production and characterisation of ceramic materials for medical application. The evaluation of bioactive materials for bone replacement and bone repair. The development of a new generation of pharmaceutical biomaterials.
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Professor Alexander Bird
College Supervisor in Philosophy , Director of Studies in Philosophy , Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy of science, history and philosophy of medicine, metaphysics, epistemology,
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College Supervisor in Philosophy , Director of Studies in Philosophy , Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy of science, history and philosophy of medicine, metaphysics, epistemology,
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Dr Nicholas Stephen Blunt
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Chemistry
High-accuracy quantum chemistry methods, particularly for systems where established approaches are unreliable; quantum Monte Carlo methods; excited-state and finite-temperature methods in quantum chemistry.
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Natural Sciences (Physical)
Chemistry
High-accuracy quantum chemistry methods, particularly for systems where established approaches are unreliable; quantum Monte Carlo methods; excited-state and finite-temperature methods in quantum chemistry.
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Professor Patrick Boyde
Fellow Borderer, Emeritus Prof of Italian
Modern and Medieval Languages
Italian
The interaction between Dante’s thought and poetry; Dante and the visual arts; rival theories and styles in the declamation of Homer; the first performance in London (1635) of a play by Corneille (1606-84).
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Fellow Borderer, Emeritus Prof of Italian
Modern and Medieval Languages
Italian
The interaction between Dante’s thought and poetry; Dante and the visual arts; rival theories and styles in the declamation of Homer; the first performance in London (1635) of a play by Corneille (1606-84).
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Dr Tristan G Brown
Title A (Research Fellow)
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Chinese History
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Title A (Research Fellow)
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Chinese History
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Professor Graham J Burton
Mary Marshall and Arthur Walton Professor of the Physiology of Reproduction, Director, Centre for Trophoblast Research, Formerly College Lecturer in Veterinary Medicine
Medical Science
Placental development and function. The role of placental stress in early pregnancy failure, growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. Early fetal nutrition and metabolism, and developmental programming of adult disease.
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Mary Marshall and Arthur Walton Professor of the Physiology of Reproduction, Director, Centre for Trophoblast Research, Formerly College Lecturer in Veterinary Medicine
Medical Science
Placental development and function. The role of placental stress in early pregnancy failure, growth restriction and pre-eclampsia. Early fetal nutrition and metabolism, and developmental programming of adult disease.
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Dr Stefano Castelvecchi
College Lecturer in Music, University Lecturer in Music
Music
Eighteenth-and nineteenth-century opera, Mozart and Rossini, textual criticism, genre.
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College Lecturer in Music, University Lecturer in Music
Music
Eighteenth-and nineteenth-century opera, Mozart and Rossini, textual criticism, genre.
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Dr Adam Chau
College Lecturer in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University Senior Lecturer in the Anthropology of Modern China
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
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College Lecturer in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University Senior Lecturer in the Anthropology of Modern China
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
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Professor Malcolm A Clarke
College Supervisor in Law, University Professor of Commercial Contract Law
Law
The law of obligations, in particular, the law relating to insurance and to the carriage of goods and passengers.
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College Supervisor in Law, University Professor of Commercial Contract Law
Law
The law of obligations, in particular, the law relating to insurance and to the carriage of goods and passengers.
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Dr Sue M Colwell
Tutor for Graduate Affairs, Tutor, College Lecturer in Mathematics for Natural Sciences
Mathematics
Mathematics for Natural Sciences
Non-linear dynamics. Applications to molecular vibration-rotation spectra. Molecular Quantum Mechanics. Time-dependent Density Functional Theory methods for electromagnetic molecular properties.
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Tutor for Graduate Affairs, Tutor, College Lecturer in Mathematics for Natural Sciences
Mathematics
Mathematics for Natural Sciences
Non-linear dynamics. Applications to molecular vibration-rotation spectra. Molecular Quantum Mechanics. Time-dependent Density Functional Theory methods for electromagnetic molecular properties.
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