July 2026 |
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‘It is a tremendous pleasure to introduce the latest e-News in my new capacity as Master – a title I am just about getting used to after a full three and a half weeks in the role. Having been a tutorial Fellow for 23 years before that, I realised long ago that Balliol people never stop, and this e-News will confirm that they remain as busy, brilliant, and various as ever. I am sure you will enjoy reading about their many achievements and distinctions. More humbly, my own principal accomplishment in July has been to move a few thousand books from my room of eighteen years in Staircase XVIII to the Master’s study at the other end of the Garden Quad – an onerous task in this heat, but, with the sturdy help of our excellent maintenance department, I can report that we are getting there. I look forward very much to welcoming you to the College over the years to come – especially those of you, 2026 graduates, who now join the select club that is the Balliol alumni community. I have greatly enjoyed meeting several groups of Old Members at events and reunions over the last few weeks, and I can say for sure that you are joining a genuinely global network of diverse and remarkable people, united by their shared connection to the College: I am delighted to welcome you on board. My best wishes to everyone for a happy, productive, and I hope not too hot summer.’
Professor Seamus Perry, Master of Balliol College |
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Professor Seamus Perry has formally taken office as Master of Balliol, having been elected to succeed Dame Helen Ghosh last year. |
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Professor Dame Frances Kirwan (1981 and Emeritus Fellow) has been awarded an honorary degree from the University of Warwick, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to mathematics. |
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On 1–2 July 2026, Balliol welcomed thousands of prospective students for the College’s annual Open Days, giving visitors the opportunity to experience life at Balliol and learn more about studying at Oxford. |
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Professor John-Paul Ghobrial (Professor of Mediterranean and Global History, Lucas Fellow and Tutor in History) is co-editor of a new publication, Christians in Middle Eastern History: Strangers No More. |
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Conor Kelly (Bingham Early Career Fellow in Constitutional Studies) and Susie Deedigan (2010) recently attended the MacGill Summer School in Glenties, County Donegal. |
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We warmly congratulate Professor Matthew Bell (1983) on his election as a Fellow of the British Academy this year. He is among 92 distinguished scholars elected in recognition of their contributions to the humanities and social sciences. |
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Professor Graeme Segal (1963) has been awarded the Chern Medal, one of the highest international honours in mathematics, in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the field. |
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Professor James Maynard (2009) has been appointed Regius Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, one of only three Regius Professorships of Mathematics in the UK. |
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Following the announcement of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s new Cabinet on 20 July 2026, five Balliol Old Members now hold roles in government and the Prime Minister’s Office. |
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Two Balliol alumnae have been awarded competitive scholarships to support postgraduate study in the United States. |
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BALLIOL ON THE WEB |
- Obituaries:
· Stephen Hodge (1960), Ham & High
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- Professor Emily Wilson (1990): 'An Uncomplicated Man', London Review of Books
- Kirsty Duffy (2008): delivers lecture on neutrinos for The Royal Institution
- Sudhir Hazareesingh (Coolidge Fellow and Tutorial Fellow in Politics, Senior Fellow): interviewed in the five-part podcast on Toussaint Louverture, Radio France
- Professor Simon Lee (1976): guest post, Do You Write Under Your Own Name?
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PUBLICATIONS |
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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. |
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