News & Events

Girton Appoints Artists in Residence

Girton College is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Barnett and Sonny Sanjay Vadgama as Artists in Residence for 2013 –14 and 2014 –15 respectively.

The Artist in Residence Scheme:

The Artist in Residence scheme reflects Girton's ongoing commitment to the arts and humanities, and will encourage engagement between practising artists and any area of scholarship in the Collegiate University. Thanks to generous gifts of time and money from our alumni and friends, the artists will each live and work in Girton for an entire academic year, mingling with Fellows, staff and students on a day to day basis. There will be workshops, exhibitions, and related activities and perhaps even a new genre of interdisciplinary artworks inspired by the College setting.

The Mistress, Professor Susan J. Smith commented, 'We are grateful to all who have helped get this new scheme off the ground and in particular to our distinguished alumnae Suling Mead and Ruth Whaley, without whom we would not have been able to proceed. The Artist in Residence scheme will run alongside other Visiting Fellowships and complement the existing Musicians in Residence programme. It underlines Girton's interest in the arts and humanities, and sits particularly well alongside our partnership with the Royal Society of Portrait Painters that has inspired the magnificent collection of People's Portraits, which is on permanent display in the College'.

The Artists:

Tom Barnett – 2013 – 2014

Tom graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in 2007. He works in a variety of media, exploring sound and text as a complement to his drawings, paintings and performances. His focus is on exploring creativity as a means to understanding human behaviour. The work is inspired initially by landscape, particularly that of West Yorkshire and the Calder Valley where he grew up.

Sonny Vadgama – 2014 – 2015

Sonny has had a very successful career since graduating with First Class Honours at the Central St Martins College of Art and Design in London, following a Fine Art Foundation Diploma at the Byam Shaw School of Art and Design and experience as an Erasmus student at the Royal College of Fine Art in Stockholm. Sonny merges video with sculpture to create fascinating works of art. He has shown his work at numerous exhibitions both in the UK and abroad, including Italy, Dehli, Lebanon and New York.

Published: 26 April 2013

Professor Lisa Jardine recognises mathematics genius of former Girton Mistress, Dame Mary Cartwright.

Historian and former Fellow (1974 English) Professor Lisa Jardine paid tribute to mathematical genius of past Mistress of Girton College (1949-68), Dame Mary Cartwright, in a BBC Radio 4 'Point of View' broadcast. In this broadcast Professor Jardine reflects on Dame Mary's mathematical achievements and notes the importance of her work, arguing that she should be more explicitly credited as one of the original founders of Chaos Theory.

Dame Mary first came to Girton when she received the Yarrow Research Fellowship in 1930, she also lectured in Mathematics for the University. From 1949-1968 she was the Mistress at Girton College, joining just one year after women were granted full membership of the University in 1948. She is historically known at Girton College for being the longest-serving Mistress and received her Life Fellowship at Girton in 1968. She died on 3rd April 1998, aged 97.

For more information about the broadcast and Dame Mary, please visit:

• A Point of View: Mary, queen of maths
• BBC Radio 4: A Point of View Broadcast
• BBC Radio 4 Podcast -  Lisa Jardine: Dame Mary Cartwright
• Times Obituary of Mary Cartwright
• BBC Radio 4: Chaos Theory
• Fellows at Girton College

Published: 12 March 2013

The College Welcomes Visiting Fellows for the Easter Term

The College is delighted to welcome Professor Saskia Sassen, whos returns to the Helen Cam Visiting Fellowship, and Professor Roger Leigh, the Brenda Ryman Visiting Fellow, for the Easter Term.

Internationally renowned academic and author, Professor Saskia Sassen, is the Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology and Co-Chair of the Committee on Global Thought at the University of Columbia.  Her work focuses on globalization (including social, economic and political dimensions), immigration, global cities (including cities and terrorism), the new networked technologies, and changes within the liberal state that result from current transnational conditions. She has recently completed her new book: 'Expulsions: When Complexity produces Elementary Brutalities (Harvard University Press).

Professor Roger Leigh returns to Girton College as the Brenda Ryman Visiting Fellow. Professor Leigh is a plant biologist with a particular interest in nutrient-use in crop plants. He is especially concerned with the molecular and physiological processes underpinning nutrient uptake, storage and remobilisation. He was trained at the University of Wales, Harvard University and the University of Cambridge before joining Rothamsted Experimental Station in the Harpenden, Hertfordshire as a research scientist. He spent 18 years there in various roles, eventually becoming Deputy Director. He was then Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge from 1998 to 2006, a Professorial Fellow at Girton College (1998 to 2006) and Vice-President then President of the Society for Experiment Biology. He is currently a member (and was formerly Head) of the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at the University of Adelaide. Previously Director of the Waite Research Institute, he is currently on sabbatical leave in Cambridge, based in the Department of Plant Sciences.

Published:  26 April 2013

Girton’s Dr Amaleena Damlé celebrates International Women's Day with her new book

Dr Amaleena Damlé, the Newton Trust Teaching and Research Fellow in French at Girton has been working on various projects that analyse femininity in and through contemporary French literature. Women's Writing in Twenty-First-Century France: Life as Literature, co-edited with Professor Gill Rye (Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies, University of London), is forthcoming next month with the University of Wales Press.

This volume of essays explores key themes around women’s experience, femininity and gender, intervening in important debates on significant social issues, the family, history, war, violence, trauma, the body, ethnicity, desire and sexuality. The work as a whole engages with a host of critical issues from feminism to postmodernism, translation to popular fiction and life-writing to aesthetic experiment

International Women's Day is on Friday 8^th March 2013. It celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some countries (China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria) it is regarded as a national holiday.

For more information visit:

• Google Books
• International Women’s Day 2013
•  Follow International Women’s Day on Twitter

Published: 8 March 2013 

Ash Court Topping Out Ceremony

No-one driving through Girton village in the last six months can have failed to notice the enormous crane stretched across the sky-line. It marks the site of Girton College’s splendid new residential wing – the first for three-quarters of a century. The building at Ash Court, will contain 50 en suite rooms with splendid views over the duck pond, together with a new gym, ergo room, changing rooms, fully refurbished swimming pool and squash courts. The whole development is a model of best practice in sustainable building design and operation, incorporating a large photovoltaic array, ground source heat pumps and heat recovery on the ventilation. The building reached its high point last week and in keeping with tradition, a ‘topping out ceremony’ was duly observed.

On a cold March morning, Girton’s Vice-Mistress, Julia Riley and Bursar, Debbie Lowther, were joined on the roof by Dean Burgess and Gareth Roberts of Mansell Construction (Project Contractors) to apply the final element of cladding to the last of ten chimneys. The spectacle was witnessed from the ground by Bob Allies and colleagues from architects, Allies and Morrison, who designed the new wing, together with Fellows and staff of the College, other members of the design team, representatives of the Contractors and a variety of invited guests.

Afterwards in the warmth of the Fellows’ Rooms, Dean Burgess, Regional Managing Director of Mansell, said “ Balfour Beatty is proud to be involved in this prestigious development.  The exceptional quality of the design provides a contextual response to the historic environment of this Grade II* listed building.   The building, which has a minimum of 100 year design life, will achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating with low space heating targets and a high level of air-tightness and insulation.  The construction works are being completed to an extremely high standard to meet new maintenance requirements”.

In reply, Debbie Lowther thanked all who had worked so hard to get the project to this stage, on time and within budget. She praised the level of support that the project has been given by Fellows, staff and students of the College and said that  “Given the current economic situation in this country it is impressive that the project is underway and its progress is a strong statement about the vitality and ambitions of Girton College. The Ash Court development provides us with an opportunity to add to the world class living and learning environment that our Founders envisaged, providing a home from home for students enjoying a first rate education.”

Ash Court will be ready to accommodate students for the new academic year this October. It will also be available in the vacations for weddings, conferences, special events, and sporting occasions. It is situated close to the immaculately kept sports fields and new pavilion, and within easy reach of meeting rooms, dining and recreational facilities. There will be a bed and breakfast service for those holidaying in Cambridge or hoping to catch a glimpse of passing attractions, such as the 2014 Tour de France. Its completion confirms Girton College’s position as a premier location within Cambridgeshire for a wide variety of private, corporate and academic events throughout the year.

Nick Lomax, College Conference and Events Director, believes “Ash Court represents a huge step forward in the development of both the student experience and that of the visitors we welcome to Girton College.  The facilities enhance an already excellent reputation for the hosting of events of all types”.

For catering, conferences and events enquiries, please contact the Conference and Events Office via email: JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING , Telephone: +44 (0)1223 338975 or look online at http://conferences.girton.cam.ac.uk/.

To support Girton’s Great Campaign for the ‘Living and Learning Environment’, contact the Development Office via email : JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING , Telephone:  +44 (0) 01223 766672 or look online at http://www.girton.cam.ac.uk/supporters/a-great-campaign.

Published: 10 April 2013

Dr Kate Kennedy live on BBC Radio 3 talking about Britten's: The Rape of Lucretia

Research Fellow, Dr Kate Kennedy will be live on BBC Radio 3 'In Tune' on 8 March 2013 at 5.45pm talking about the upcoming performance of Britten's: The Rape of Lucretia at Girton College, on Wednesday 13th March 2013 at 8.00pm in the Old Hall. There will be a further performance at Queens' College, on Thursday 14th March at  8.00pm in Fitzpatrick Hall.

This performance, supported by the Chamber Music Scheme, will be the first ever in which Britten's uncensored text will be used. This historic occasion is a fitting way for Girton College to mark the Britten centenary year.

For more information on this article, please visit:

• BBC Radio 3 - In Tune
• Chamber Music Scheme (CMS) Events - Britten's: The Rape of Lucretia
• Booking Tickets - Britten's: The Rape of Lucretia
• Chamber Music Scheme (CMS)

Published: 7 March 2013

Founders’ Memorial Lecture 2013 with Dame Anne Owers

Established in 1928, the Founders' Memorial Lecture is a highlight of the Girton College calendar. It offers the opportunity to bring a wide range of distinguished speakers to Cambridge, including Dame Anne Owers, who spoke on Friday 8 March, about 'Guarding the guards: the role of independent regulation'.

Dame Anne, pictured here with the Mistress, is an alumna of the College. She is currently Chair of the Independent Police Complaints Commission and was formerly HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. Her wealth of experience in the criminal justice system, together with a passion for fairness, and the gift of clarity, made for an insightful and thought-provoking lecture. If you missed it, there is an audio recording available on the University of Cambridge, video and audio collections website (http://sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1435513).

Published: 9 April 2013 

Musical Magic at Girton

Girton’s Director of Music, Martin Ennis, Musician-in-residence, Jeremy West, Bye-Fellow, Maggie Faultless and the Mistress celebrate the Glories of Venice in Girton’s Great Hall. They are joined by instrumentalists from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (with Head of Brass, Kevin Price), the London Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Royal College of Music and alumni from Cambridge University and the Manhattan School of Music. Behind them are portraits of Girton’s Founders, Emily Davis (on the left) and Barbara Bodichon (on the right).

Life at Girton combines scholarly excellence with all-round personal development, and music plays an important role. Girton’s musicians made history this term, assembling perhaps the largest collection of sackbuts and cornetts ever to appear in Cambridge, to perform some of the great works written by Giovanni Gabrieli and his contemporaries for the Basilica of San Marco in Venice. The wind ensemble pictured here (directed by Jeremy West) was joined by members of the Collegium Musicum (directed by Maggie Faultless,  featuring Girtonians Mark Seow and Camilla Nelson), as well as by some of the finest choral scholars in Cambridge, including Girton graduate Katherine Hambridge and current choir member Robert Haylett. The Great Hall was bursting at the seams, and the audience seemed delighted to hear the rarely-performed 33-part Magnificat twice. The applause was described as ‘tumultuous’ and the phrase ‘next stop Venice itself’ was on everyone’s lips.

Better still, this is just the tip of a musical iceberg here at Girton. Working with Director of Music, Martin Ennis there is a splendid mixed-voice choir directed by acclaimed Tenor, Nicholas Mulroy, a chamber music scheme steered by Research Fellow Kate Kennedy, and up to four musicians in residence (currently including Tenor Andrew Kennedy and cornettist Jeremy West). There is a vibrant student-led music society with organ recitals, Sunday afternoon concerts, Jazz nights, forays into music theatre, and an array of impromptu events, ranging from opera (The Rape of Lucretia is in production at the moment) to ‘barber-shop’, and the foot-tapping rhythms of the Girton All-stars Brass Quintet.

To learn more about studying music at Girton, look here. However, you do not need to be studying music to have the opportunity to engage with the wide array of musical activity the College has to offer. Alongside two organ scholarships awarded every three years are assorted choir and instrumental scholarships and prizes that are open to students of any subject. More generally, every effort is made to include singers and instrumentalists of wide-ranging abilities and interests somewhere in Girton’s vibrant musical scene. 

Girton Fellow uses Nanotechnology to take on …Nanotechnology

Girton Fellow, Dr Colm Durkan, has put the hair-care products market under the microscope. Through the company he recently formed, CambridgeNano, he carried out a study, published in this week's Sunday Times, of hair after washing with over 20 different products, ranging in price from 20p to £100 per bottle. The hairs were examined using the advanced Atomic Force Microscope, developed by Colm, an instrument that allows one to image features on hair and just about anything else, with a resolution below 1 nm (one billionth of a metre). Whilst the cheapest products proved relatively ineffective at cleaning, surprisingly so too did the more expensive ones, with the best performance coming from the mid-priced products.

For more information please visit:

• The Sunday Times – ‘Gonna wash that myth right out of my hair'
• Daily Mail - 'Forget spending £100 on shampoo, a £3.99 bottle is just as good at leaving your hair clean'
• Girton News - Dr Colm Durkan co-founds CambridgeNano
• Colm Durkan's Scanning probe microscopy and Nanoelectronics group

Published: 3 April 2013

Girton Hammond Science Communication Prize 2013

The sixth annual Girton Hammond Science Communication Prize took place on Wednesday 20th February in front of an enthusiastic audience of students, Fellows and guests. This year the contestants were asked to present on the theme RESOLUTION. Their chosen topics included chiral resolution in drug development, imaging of viruses, inflammation, cognitive bias and explaining why you can't see your house from space. Participants were asked to present their ideas with a time limit of eight minutes and a maximum of five slides, with a target audience of educated 6th Formers in mind. Use of props and other visual aids was encouraged - a football and a skipping rope were featured this year! The College was delighted that Dr Phil Hammond (1981), after whom the prize has been named, was able to attend the evening and lead the judging panel. The other judges were Professor Abigail Fowden, Dr Liliana Janik, Dr Morag Hunter and Dr Ruth Warren.

After a very informative and entertaining evening, where all the speakers were highly commended, the prizes were announced:

First Place and winner of the Audience Prize:

David Fischer (2011, Natural Sciences) 'Subtomogram averaging – A closer look at viruses'.

Second Place:

Manavi Sachdeva (2011, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences) 'Resolving our cognitive biases: an essential undertaking or a lost cause?'.

Royal College of Pathologists Prize (for the best talk with a pathology theme):

Samantha Brown (2011, Medicine and Veterinary Sciences) 'Resolution of Inflammation'.

Abstract Prize:

Gengjing Zhao (2010, Biological Sciences) 'Chiral RESOLUTION – and optically active drugs'.

Published: 27 February 2013