Selwyn College Cambridge

Selwyn College Cambridge Academic excellence and a strong community. Selwyn is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.
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It is home to students of all backgrounds from the UK and across the world. We are proud of our diversity, and we welcome everyone whatever their race, gender, sexuality, disability or religious belief. The college takes its name from George Augustus Selwyn, who was the first Bishop of New Zealand (1841-68) and later Bishop of Lichfield (1868-78), and in whose memory the college was founded. The c

ollege opened at the start of the academic year in 1882. At the time it was seen as being away from the Cambridge mainstream, despite only being a short walk from King’s College and the centre of the city. However, the Sidgwick site – which includes such major faculty buildings as Classics, Economics, English, History, Law, and Modern Languages – was later created right next to Selwyn; and due to the steady growth of the University and its development of the West Cambridge site, Selwyn now stands at its geographical heart.

Strike up the band, exams are nearly over. From the archives: the Selwyn Lyrics, our College jazz band, in Hall in 1926....
16/06/2026

Strike up the band, exams are nearly over.

From the archives: the Selwyn Lyrics, our College jazz band, in Hall in 1926.

The Lyrics first played around 1925 and – according to the Calendar report - brought lighter elements to the College smoking concerts, the term at the time for live performances.

One player, Samuel Okai-Idun, later became a judge and President of the Court of Appeal for Eastern Africa. Frank Woodward arrived as a mathematical scholar in 1923 and returned in 1928 as a Fellow after a year teaching at Oundle School.

Our Master, Suzanne Raine, has been appointed MBE for her voluntary work as a Trustee of Imperial War Museums.She spent ...
13/06/2026

Our Master, Suzanne Raine, has been appointed MBE for her voluntary work as a Trustee of Imperial War Museums.

She spent eight years on the IWM board, the last two as Deputy Chair.

Suzanne said: “I’m really delighted. It is especially lovely to be honoured for voluntary work, and I enjoyed every day of my time working with the museum.”

Congratulations to three of our academics, recognised in this year's University of Cambridge promotions.Professor Uradyn...
11/06/2026

Congratulations to three of our academics, recognised in this year's University of Cambridge promotions.

Professor Uradyn Bulag (Social Anthropology), Dr Vicky Young (Asian and Middle Eastern Studies) and Dr Zeina Al Azmeh (Sociology) take up their new roles in October.

We are proud to celebrate all three. https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/news/university-promotions-0

Tea, cake, conversation… and a special four-legged visitor! Students at this week's Tea at Three enjoyed an extra treat ...
09/06/2026

Tea, cake, conversation… and a special four-legged visitor!

Students at this week's Tea at Three enjoyed an extra treat when Master Suzanne Raine brought along her dog, Genie.

Second-year music student Magnus Chapman said: “Tea at Three is more than a sweet treat and a coffee. I have needed it all the more during exam time. When I have been studying all day, it means I get to have a chat and a proper break.”

Magnus has met Genie before and said: “I have a dog at home and she dissolves my stress!”

The growing popularity of Tea at Three has seen the weekly wellbeing event move to a larger venue this term, helping even more students take a break, catch up with friends and recharge during the busy exam period.

A Selwyn musician has started something quite special for young cricketers.Chloë Allison (SE 2012-21), captain of the Ma...
05/06/2026

A Selwyn musician has started something quite special for young cricketers.
Chloë Allison (SE 2012-21), captain of the Marylebone Cricket Club women’s team, organised a fixture at Selwyn’s grounds between the MCC and a composite team of young players from county sides across East Anglia. All from state schools, the young players were able to test their cricketing skills against experienced adults. After the event Chloë said the players were ‘extremely impressive’.
The fixture is a pilot which Chloë and plan to replicate, opening up a sport where school cricket too often stops at private schools. Well done 👏🏻

30/05/2026

Ordinary Congregation brought together doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s graduands for the conferral of their degrees.

Celebrations began with drinks in Old Court before the procession to the Senate House on 22 May.

Congratulations to all, and best wishes for everything ahead.

Selwyn Fellow Sarah Fraser Butlin KC has spent two years researching the crisis in the UK's Employment Tribunal system, ...
28/05/2026

Selwyn Fellow Sarah Fraser Butlin KC has spent two years researching the crisis in the UK's Employment Tribunal system, where people bringing claims can now wait up to five years for a hearing.

Her book, co-authored with Professor Catherine Barnard and Maayan Menashe, proposes a new approach to how workplace disputes are resolved. The recommendations have already featured in national media.

The book, Reimagining Employment Dispute Resolution and Enforcement, publishes on 25 June.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/reimagining-employment-dispute-resolution-and-enforcement-9781509990535/

We are looking for a Head of Buildings and Maintenance to join Selwyn College, Cambridge, following the well-deserved pr...
23/05/2026

We are looking for a Head of Buildings and Maintenance to join Selwyn College, Cambridge, following the well-deserved promotion of our current postholder.

A hands-on leadership role with real strategic scope which involves managing a team of 11 across an historic college estate while helping shape Selwyn's buildings strategy and sustainability goals.

Strong experience in historic building conservation, asset and contract management essential. Salary £56,469, full time, permanent. Closing date noon on Wednesday 3 June 2026.

21/05/2026

We welcomed Caro Howell MBE, Director General of Imperial War Museums (IWM), for this year’s Ramsay Murray Lecture on 15 May.

The Ramsay Murray lecture is Selwyn’s flagship event, attracting top-flight speakers. During her speech to a packed audience, Caro explored how the IWM tells human-centred stories of war and peace in the 21st century. From preserving personal accounts to engaging younger audiences through digital storytelling, the lecture highlighted the importance of making history feel relevant to people’s lives today.

You can read more or watch the full lecture here: https://youtu.be/j3sTttw9q4U?si=rt9tleQ6A28oBYYJ

The Master's Lodge was the setting on 19 May for a Selwyn Book Talk that crossed disciplines, challenged assumptions, an...
20/05/2026

The Master's Lodge was the setting on 19 May for a Selwyn Book Talk that crossed disciplines, challenged assumptions, and sent its audience away, by design, a little dizzy.

Presenting The Business of Quantum Technologies, co-author and Selwyn Fellow Professor Chander Velu opened with a provocation borrowed from quantum physics itself: if you are not dizzy by the end of this, you have not understood it.

He was joined by Roger McKinlay, former Challenge Director for Quantum Technologies at Innovate UK, and organiser Selwyn Fellow Zeina Al Azmah.

Chander covered the real-world applications of quantum technologies: faster drug discovery, more secure financial systems, brain imaging for neurological conditions, and timekeeping resilient enough to replace GPS for critical national infrastructure.

The question the panel kept returning to was not whether quantum technologies will change things, but whether the right people, businesses and policymakers are in the room together when they do.

As Roger put it: the technology is only half the work. The rest is the people.

The Business of Quantum Technologies is open access and available via Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-99808-9

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