Fond farewell for three Fellows

St Catharine’s wishes a fond farewell to three of our Fellows who have left to pursue new roles at Churchill College, the University of Oxford and Imperial College London.

Dr Mairi Kilkenny (2016), Assistant Director of Teaching in the Department of Biochemistry, supported the welfare and education of students at St Catharine’s, even receiving a University-wide prizes for excellence in technology-enabled learning. She started in late September as Churchill College’s Senior Postgraduate Tutor, where she will be responsible for recruitment, admission, welfare, mentoring and wider support of postgraduate students. She will also continue as Director of Studies in Biochemistry at St Catharine’s in parallel.

She said, “I had a wonderful six years at St Catharine’s. The Fellows, staff and students alike are welcoming, friendly, supportive and passionate about their work. I feel very privileged to have been part of the Fellowship, and thoroughly enjoyed my time as Director of Studies, supervisor, admissions interviewer, undergraduate tutor and postgraduate mentor. I wish everyone at Catz all the best for the future, and would be delighted to keep in touch with as many former students and colleagues as possible.”

Dr Johannes Pausch (2019) was previously elected Henry Philpott College Assistant Professor and supported St Catharine’s undergraduate students as Director of Studies in Mathematics and Tutor. On 3 October, he started as a Research Associate at the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College London, which will involve him creating mathematical models of the collective behaviour of cells, such as bacteria and cancer.

He remarked, “St Catharine’s is a wonderful community of students, staff and Fellows, and I feel very lucky to have been part of it. Interacting with the students as a teacher and a tutor has been tremendously enriching for me, and I will take this amazing experience forward in my career. The College has also given me the freedom to follow my own research ideas and I will continue the work in my new role."

Dr Nafay Choudhury (2021) was until recently the College’s John Shakeshaft Research Fellow. In his time at St Catharine’s, he won four awards for his research articles on legal pluralism and private governance in Afghanistan. He left on 31 October 2022 to take up his new position as British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Oxford.

He commented, “My time at Catz has been tremendously beneficial and something that I will always carry with me. Not only have I pursued my own research but also, I have gotten to know new friends and colleagues from a great variety of backgrounds who have expanded my understanding of the world. I look forward to remaining in contact with them well into the future.”

Professor Sir Mark Welland (2016), Master of St Catharine’s, added:

“Fostering world-class teaching and research at St Catharine’s supports our students and gives our Fellows space in which they can develop their ideas and capabilities. I am enormously grateful to Mairi, Johannes and Nafay for the important ways in which they have contributed to the College and I have no doubt whatsoever that the next step in each of their careers will prove just as successful as their time with us. I am sure everyone at St Catharine’s will join me in wishing them the best of luck and keeping eye out for news of their future endeavours.”