St Catharine’s is delighted to welcome two new faces in the roles of Deputy Senior Tutor and Interim Chaplain, both of whom will provide valuable support to the College community.
Dr Martin Parker Dixon will join St Catharine’s as Deputy Senior Tutor on 2 September 2024. This newly created part-time role, reporting to the Senior Tutor, will advance the College’s mission to provide outstanding pastoral support to students and remain at the forefront of collegiate Cambridge.
A Bye-Fellow of Fitzwilliam, Sidney Sussex and St Edmund’s Colleges, Martin has served in numerous student-facing and pastoral roles over the last 8 years, including Director of Studies in Music at St John’s and Sidney Sussex, as a Tutor at Fitzwilliam and Sidney Sussex, and as Deputy Admissions Tutor at St Edmund’s. He was also Praelector at Sidney Sussex for the 2023–24 academic year. From October 2024 he will also be Senior Pro-Proctor for the University of Cambridge.
Dr Holly Canuto (2020), Senior Tutor at St Catharine’s, commented:
“St Catharine’s is highly regarded for academic excellence as well as our commitment to student support. Our investment in pastoral support is a fundamental part of how we create an environment in which our students can thrive, whatever their circumstances. Martin is clearly passionate about student wellbeing, and we are very excited to have him join us next month in preparation for the new academic year.”
Dr Martin Parker Dixon, Deputy Senior Tutor
Martin has extensive experience of supporting students across Cambridge, and during his 17 years as a Lecturer and Academic Advisor at the University of Glasgow. Cambridge Students’ Union have nominated him for a Student-Led Teaching Award; he won the Glasgow University Best Research Supervisor of the Year, and was nominated for the Glasgow University Tutor of the Year. He has a counselling qualification and Peer Support training from Mind, the mental health charity.
He added, “I am thrilled to be joining a community at St Catharine’s that is so genuine in its commitment to bolstering students’ academic ambitions with first-class pastoral support, so that they are helped every step of the way: from finding their feet in their first weeks, to facing final examinations or thesis submission. It is vital that we as a College are there for one another; when personal challenges arise, we provide support and encouragement to cultivate self-awareness which allows us all to flourish within the extraordinary learning environment of Cambridge and hopefully beyond.”
Martin’s academic and teaching experience also align with St Catharine’s strong musical tradition. He studied music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Sir James MacMillan and Dame Judith Weir, before completing his Master’s at Edinburgh University, and his PhD at Wolfson College, Cambridge in Critical Theory (2000). He supervises 19th- and 20th-century music topics for the Music Faculty and researches the interdisciplinary area of 20th-century music and philosophy, especially T.W. Adorno. He also worked at the Institute of Continuing Education at Madingley for many years, teaching and assessing on the PGCert in Philosophy. His current work involves using ordinary language philosophy in the analysis of artistic practices.
In addition, the Rev'd Jonathan Collis will join the College as Chaplain on an interim basis from 16 September 2024, ahead of Ally Barrett (2019) starting as Associate Vicar at Great St Mary's, the University Church in Cambridge. Jonathan is Rector of St Botolph’s (across Trumpington Street from St Catharine’s), and has considerable experience of chaplaincy across collegiate Cambridge, including at Jesus, Selwyn and Wolfson Colleges. St Catharine’s is in the process of seeking a Chaplain to take up the permanent role and candidates are asked to submit their applications by noon on 12 September 2024.
