January 2026

'As a new term begins for its students, Fellows, and staff, Balliol affords me the leisure (scholē) Aristotle held integral to a scholarly life. For a Plato scholar, there is a special frisson to thinking and writing in Jowett’s college, whether in my comfortable study off Jowett Walk or in the beautiful Balliol Library. But the highlight of my Balliol life is a short walk away: collegial conversation over shared meals. Chef Bertrand is a culinary genius, but the secret sauce to Balliol is its people. American classicist Paul Shorey wrote of Jowett’s "genius for friendship". The College maintains this legacy.'

Professor Verity Harte, George Eastman Visiting Professor

COLLEGE NEWS

New Year Honours 2026

Our warmest congratulations to three Old Members who have been recognised for their achievement and service in the 2026 New Year Honours List.

Inaugural Fellows of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences

Two Balliol mathematicians have been appointed to the inaugural cohort of Fellows of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences.

Honorary degree nomination

Dominic Sandbrook (1993) is among eight individuals to be awarded an honorary degree by the University of Oxford. A special Honorary Degree Ceremony will be held on 24 February 2026 at the Sheldonian Theatre.

Artist in Residence returns

Poet and Honorary Fellow Gwyneth Lewis returns to Balliol as Artist in Residence for Hilary Term 2026. She invites those interested in creative or academic writing to come along for a chat about all things writing.

Roger Lonsdale and 18th-century poetry

Professor Seamus Perry (Professor of English Literature, Massey Fellow, Tutor in English, Master Elect) reflects on Roger Lonsdale and the scholarship that reshaped the study of 18th-century poetry.

Nicholas Crouch collection

Balliol teamed up with the Oxford Bibliographical Society (OBS) to support an Early Career Scholar to work in Balliol’s Library and Archives to explore the 17th-century Nicholas Crouch collection.

ALUMNI NEWS

Alumna publishes debut crime novel

Roopa Unnikrishnan (1995) has published her fiction debut, The Jasmine Murders: An Uma-Jayan Mystery (Aleph Book Company, 2026).

News & Notes

Have you sent in your news for News and Notes 2026? If not, we can hold on until Monday 2 February (no later) if you'd like to send it by email (250 words max, photos welcome). We look forward to hearing from you.

BALLIOL ON THE WEB

Jasmeen Kanwal (2005): 'Race is not a biological category: challenging this misconception will help tackle racism in healthcare', The BMJ

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John Bramston (1850) and Robert Herbert (1849) mentioned in 'Behind the scenes of Brisbane's 2032 Olympics, a 19th-century story of politics and gay love', The Guardian

PUBLICATIONS

William Booth (1999), Further and better limits of expectation: Schenoni and Mainwaring’s 'US hegemony and regime change in Latin America' (UCL Press, 2025)
Ben Fine (1966), The Political Economy of South Africa Revisited: Tracking and Debating the Minerals-Energy and Financial Complex (Brill, 2025), Volume 9 of the Critical Reconstruction of Political Economy series
Peter Ward Jones (1963), British Choral Singing: A History from Medieval Times to the Present Day (Boydell & Brewer, 2026)

If you would like us to mention any significant work published this year or last, please send details to Yingying Jiang. Previously submitted publications are listed on the alumni publications page.

Balliol College, Oxford, OX1 3BJ, United Kingdom, +44 (0)1865 277690

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