Rewarding educational excellence in academia
Woolf Fisher Scholars listed by year of award:
Current Scholars
2024
The following new scholars were appointed in September 2023 and will commence their studies at Cambridge in 2024:
Harry Gardner – St John’s College, Cambridge (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience)
Sophia Geris – Jesus College, Cambridge (Physics/Astronomy)
Samuel Thompson – Trinity College, Cambridge (Engineering/Computer Science)
2023
Sita Clark – Trinity College, Cambridge (Otorhinolaryngology)
Nina de Jong – Christ’s College, Cambridge (Plant Sciences)
Cameron Ryall – Jesus College, Cambridge (Clinical Neurosciences)
2022
Miriama Aoake – Christ’s College, Cambridge (Social Anthropology)
William Cook – Christ’s College, Cambridge (Clinical Neurosciences)
Daniel Cossey – Trinity College, Cambridge (Zoology)
Florence Layburn – Trinity College, Cambridge (Chemistry
2021
No awards made due to Covid-19 restrictions
2020
Thomas Archbold – Trinity College, Cambridge (Mechanical Engineering)
Taylor Hughson – St John’s College, Cambridge (Education)
(One awardee subsequently withdrew)
2019
Gabrielle Budd – Trinity College, Cambridge (Molecular Biology)
Samuel Frengley – Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge (Pure Mathematics)
Stephanie McGimpsey – Trinity College, Cambridge (Bioinformatics)
2018
Oliver Hailes – Trinity College, Cambridge (International Law)
Nathanael Walker-Hale – Trinity College, Cambridge (Plant Science)
Doctoral Graduates
2018
Joshua Brian – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Geography, King’s College, London
Thesis title: “Parasites in freshwater mussels: community ecology and conservation”
Josh studied the parasite communities of freshwater mussels, both from a parasite perspective (how do parasite communities assemble?) and a host perspective (how is mussel conservation, and the ecosystem services they provide, affected by parasites?). He found that factors at multiple scales (study site, host species, host characteristics and parasite-parasite interactions) are important for determining parasite community structure, and that these parasites significantly alter the population dynamics of mussels, as well as the ecosystems in which these mussels live. These results emphasize the need to consider parasites in the conservation of animals and the way in which ecosystems function, and identifies key factors that will determine the degree of influence that parasites will have.
2017
Jonathan Barnard – Jesus College, Cambridge. Currently Senior Research & Insights Analyst, Ara Ake NZ Future Energy Centre, Wellington
Thesis title: “Experiments on stratified multiphase plumes”
Jonathan conducted fundamental fluid dynamics research which has applications to explosive volcanic eruption columns and oceanic methane hydrate plumes. He experimentally investigated bubble plumes and liquid plumes laden with particles in an environment with a density gradient, and developed mathematical models to predict each flow’s behaviour and characteristics. Jonathan’s research provides a platform for the development of improved hazard mitigation plans and fit-for-purpose engineering solutions to mitigate the impact of these natural phenomena.
Amy Hill – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Laboratory Manager, Bragato Research Institute, Blenheim
Thesis title: “Novel pleiotropic regulators of flotation, secondary metabolite production, and virulence in Serratia sp. ATCC 39006”
Amy conducted a screen of the bacterium Serratia sp. ATCC 39006 (S39006) to identify and characterise genes that regulate antibiotic production, flotation (using gas vesicles), and motility. She found that genes previously linked to nitrogen and amino acid starvation in other organisms were essential for S39006 gas vesicle production, motility, antibiotic production, and virulence when they infected worms. S39006 is an organism that is readily modified genetically and hence be used to identify novel bacterial regulatory elements. Gas vesicles may have future use in biotechnology as potential means to display antigens and as contrast agents in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
Liam Jolliffe – Trinity College, Cambridge (Pure Mathematics). Currently Quantitative Engineering Associate, Credit Suisse, London
Thesis title: “Combinatorial methods in the representation theory of the symmetric group”
Liam developed or refined a number of combinatorial techniques to study the representations of the symmetric group, and in particular the ‘Specht Modules’. His work has led to an improvement in the understanding of the structure of these modules, and also how larger modules can be constructed from them. This work also motivated his study of modular combinatorial design theory, which gives a formal mathematical way to study what we intuitively understand as symmetry or balance. This can have many applications, from the highly practical, such as scheduling or designing experiments, to the more technical, such as in cryptography.
Tessa Morgan – Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Currently Research Fellow, School of Nursing, University of Auckland
Thesis title: “Oldest-old partner’s experiences of providing end-of-life care: a narrative study”
Tessa conducted an in-depth longitudinal narrative interview study over the course of a year with 17 couples in Cambridge and London where at least one member was terminally ill. Her thesis challenges notions of the fourth age (75 and above) as merely comprising “decline, passivity and frailty” by emphasizing the activity and creativity of older partners providing end-of-life care, while also finding that may older carers suffer severe social isolation. The research will assist policy-makers and health and social care providers to more effectively design services that meet the needs of both oldest-old partners and social carers.
2016
Matthew Conder – St John’s College, Cambridge. Currently Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Mathematics, University of Auckland
James Gawith – Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Currently Senior Systems Engineer, Bumblebee Power and Visiting Researcher, Imperial College, London
Reece Oosterbeek – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Lecturer, Department of Engineering Science, Oxford University
2015
Nelson Lam – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Junior Research Fellow, Trinity Hall, Cambridge University
Athene Laws – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Economist, International Monetary Fund, Washington DC
Rory Little – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, Germany
2014
David Gawith – Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. Currently Director, Asia and Pacific Practice, Castalia, Auckland
Alex Kendall – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Founder and CEO, Wayve, London
Jane Leung – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Associate, Low-Carbon Energy Platform, SYSTEMIQ, Munich
2013
Katrina de Lange – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Genomic Analysis Team Leader, Centre for Population Genomics Australia (based in NZ)
Joseph Donnelly – Churchill College, Cambridge. Currently Stroke Fellow, School of Medicine, University of Auckland
Daniel Fitzpatrick – Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Currently Founder and Director, Antipodes Scientific Ltd, Auckland
2012
Chris Jenkins – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Research Fellow, Clare Hall, Cambridge
2011
Peter Clark – Magdalen College, Oxford. Currently Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry for Primary Industries, Wellington
Ross Haines – St John’s College, Oxford. Currently Deployment Strategist, Palantir Technologies, London
Doron Hickey – Merton College, Oxford. Currently Medical Retina and Genetics Fellow, The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Visiting Researcher, The Centre for Eye Research Australia, Melbourne, Australia
2010
Anna Dare – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Complex Surgical Oncology Fellow, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto
Ashley Easter – Magdalene College, Cambridge. Currently Senior Director, Business Development and Partnerships, Global Oncology Diagnostics, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
Nathalie Saurat – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Senior Research Scientist, Developmental Biology Department and Center for Stem Cell Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York
2009
Jenny Haskell – Jesus College, Cambridge
James McNamara – Trinity College, Cambridge
2008
Deidre Cleland – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Data Scientist, National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Science, NZ
Joel Harrison – Magdalen College, Oxford. Currently Senior Lecturer, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney
Reed Roberts – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Senior Data Scientist, DeepMind, London
2007
Matthew McCormick – St John’s College, Oxford. Currently Chief Development Officer, KFC UK & Ireland, London
Naomi Thompson née Matthews – University College, Oxford. Currently Petroleum Geologist, Geological Analysis, Compagnie Générale de Géophysique, UK
2006
David Delamore – St John’s College, Cambridge. Currently Manager, Offshore Wind Turbine Installation, Ørsted, Copenhagen
Abigail Fox – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently General Medical Practitioner, Sydney
Robert Holdaway – St John’s College, Cambridge. Currently Manager, Lowlands Wines, Blenheim
Anna McConnell – Merton College, Oxford. Currently Junior Professor, Otto Diels Institute of Chemistry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany
2005
Heather Niederer – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Senior Scientist, Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories, Cancer Research UK, London
Ranald Clouston – Churchill College, Cambridge. Currently Lecturer, College of Engineering & Computer Science, Australian National University, Canberra
Elizabeth Cottrell – St John’s College, Cambridge. Currently Lecturer in Maternal and Fetal Health, University of Manchester, UK
2004
Jane Allison – Trinity College, Cambridge. Currently Associate Professor in Biological Sciences, University of Auckland