St John's College, St John's Street, Cambridge (2026)

29/05/2026

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new light-emitting system that could eventually improve cancer imaging, smartphone screens and low-energy computing.

The discovery emerged from a collaboration between St John’s physicist Dr Rakesh Arul (pictured) and chemists in the laboratory of Professor Akshay Rao, after they noticed an unexpected effect in molecules attached to microscopic particles containing rare-earth metals.

“We were seeing surprisingly bright emission from states that are normally considered optically dark,” said Dr Arul, Research Fellow.

“In the process of unravelling the mystery, we found that this bright emission came from a normally dark molecular state, the triplet, which is conventionally forbidden from emitting light via the rules of quantum mechanics.”

Researchers say the discovery could improve medical imaging because longer-lasting light signals are easier for scanners to distinguish from surrounding tissue. This could help doctors detect smaller tumours or track biological processes more accurately.

The same principle could also help reduce energy consumption in consumer electronics, which waste significant amounts of power.

27/05/2026

A St John's crop biologist who is developing sustainable alternatives to synthetic fertilisers has today been named as a new Fellow of the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of sciences and the oldest science academy in continuous existence.

Professor Uta Paszkowski FRS is Acting Director of the Crop Science Centre at the University of Cambridge, Head of the Cereal Symbiosis group at the Department of Plant Sciences, and a Fellow of St John’s.

Her research investigates how major cereal crops, such as rice and maize, communicate and exchange nutrients with beneficial soil fungi to enhance agricultural sustainability.

“Our work spans from academic discovery to translational science, with the goal of advancing knowledge,” said Professor Paszkowski, who is a Director of Studies and College Lecturer in Plant Sciences at St John’s.

“It is wonderful and not just a little overwhelming for me and my team to see this level of recognition for our science.”

📸Nathan Pitt © University of Cambridge

21/04/2026

St John’s scientist Professor Simon Conway Morris has won a £1 million prize for ‘advancing understanding of the deepest questions of the universe’.

Conway Morris, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Paleobiology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John’s, is a pioneer in the field of evolutionary biology and has taught generations of students.

He has today been awarded the 2026 Templeton Prize for reshaping our knowledge of how life evolves, joining the ranks of laureates including Jane Goodall and the Dalai Lama.

Valued at more than US$1.4 million – approximately £1.04 million – the prize is one of the world’s largest annual individual awards. Established by the late global investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, it is given to honour those who harness the power of the sciences to explore the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s place and purpose within it.

📸Tim Cole / Templeton Prize

17/04/2026

A striking carpet of protected English bluebells has appeared in one of Cambridge’s oldest and most secluded green spaces.

Hundreds of thousands of the spring flowers have bloomed earlier than usual in an ancient woodland in the grounds of St John's - just minutes from the city centre.

Bluebells, which bloom across gardens and woodlands from April into May, are considered a vital part of the UK’s natural heritage.

Known for their deep violet colour and bell-shaped petals, they create striking displays across the countryside each year and are widely regarded as one of the nation’s most loved wildflowers.

David Austrin, Head Gardener, said the bluebells have grown in the grounds of St John’s for hundreds of years, but this year’s display is especially impressive.

He said: “They have flowered earlier this year because the weather has been so mild and kind to them, and we had a lot of rain in the autumn. They look absolutely spectacular, and their presence in an ancient woodland in the heart of the city is incredibly special.”

📸Geoff Robinson

Pictured from left to right: St John's students Freddie McElwaine-Johnn, Hannah Hardman-Mountford, and Lewis Bryan.

01/04/2026

“The history, traditions and legacy of the Boat Race are so inspiring.”

St John’s postgraduate Gemma King, Women’s President of Cambridge University Boat Club, was on BBC Radio 4’s 'Today' programme this morning ahead of Saturday’s iconic Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge.

It will be the 26-year-old’s third time competing in the Women’s Blue Boat in The Boat Race, which began in 1829 and saw women compete for the first time in 1927. She and her crew will be defending their title after securing victories in both 2024 and 2025.

Gemma (pictured far right at St John's with her fellow Blue Boat crew members) is a PhD student in stem biology. She spoke alongside her Oxford counterpart Heidi Long about the crews’ training, on-water rivalry and off-river friendship – and the importance of women rowers getting equal top billing beside the men in The Boat Race.

Next year will be the centenary of the women’s race, which joined the men’s on the Championship Course at the Thames Tideway in 2015. “It means so much to have that parity across the women’s race and the men’s race,” said Gemma, who rowed with the College’s Lady Margaret Boat Club as a Natural Sciences undergraduate at St John’s.

The changeable spring weather doesn’t worry Gemma and her crew when they take to the Tideway on Saturday.

“Whether it’s really windy, whether it’s pouring with rain, we’re out there in the freezing cold early mornings and that just prepares you for pretty much anything that can be thrown at you,” said Gemma during the radio interview.

The Boat Race is one of the world’s oldest amateur sporting events and was established by St John’s student and later Fellow Charles Merivale and his old schoolfriend Charles Wordsworth (nephew of poet and St John’s alumnus William Wordsworth), of Christ Church College, Oxford.

The first race took place on 10 June 1829 at Henley-on-Thames and the rest, as they say, is history.

This Easter Saturday 4 April, the women’s race is at 2.21pm, and the men’s is at 3.21pm. The reserve crew races take place in between.

Thousands of spectators will line the banks of the Thames - including rowers and supporters from Lady Margaret Boat Club and Cambridge University Boat Club, who will be cheering on the Light Blues.

The Boat Race will be broadcast live on Channel 4 and Times Radio.

📸 Nordin Ćatić

27/03/2026

St John’s has won a ‘Best New Neighbourhood’ award for student housing.

Two of the College's new student developments have been praised for their ‘characterful’ design and for being ‘integrated into the historic Cambridge city fabric’, in the Greater Cambridge Design and Construction Awards 2026.

The Hinsley Lane development of 39 Passivhaus-certified townhouses is winner of the Best New Neighbourhood Award, while a row of six 19th-century period properties in Portugal Street has won the David Mackay Award for Engineering and Sustainability.

The shared properties in Portugal Street, which house St John’s postgraduates, have also been highly commended in the Best conservation, alteration, or extension of an existing building (over £3m construction value) awards category.

Alison Cox, Domestic Bursar and Fellow of St John’s, said: “These awards recognise the major investment the College is making in high-quality, low-energy student housing that is beautifully designed for modern life.

“Our new accommodation provides comfortable shared homes for postgraduate students in communities close to the main College site, supporting academic studies while cutting the carbon footprint of the St John’s estate.”

The awards honour projects and professionals who are setting new benchmarks for sustainable design, craftsmanship, and community-focused development across Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire.

Jess Tyson, of MCW Architects, has been named Young Professional of the Year in the People Award category for her work on the College’s Portugal Street properties.

23/03/2026

What do our working lives really say about us?

Charlie Colenutt, a PhD student in History at St John’s, may have the answer after gathering candid confessions of 100 strangers for a book.

After finishing training as a barrister, Charlie bought a van and travelled Britain to speak to workers about what they do for a living, from midwifery to city trading.

“Humans need to move, they need to feel like they’re doing some kind of skilled labour, that they have some autonomy, and that they’re respected,” says Charlie.

His book 'Is This Working? The Jobs We Do, Told by the People Who Do Them' reveals the career ladder to happiness might not be what we think.

13/03/2026

A St John’s postgraduate has been named in Cambridge Women’s Blue Boat for the third consecutive year.

Gemma King, a PhD student in stem cell biology, will make her eighth Boat Race appearance in the annual clash with Oxford on Saturday 4 April.

King rowed at St John’s as a Natural Sciences undergraduate with Lady Margaret Boat Club (LMBC) before progressing to Cambridge University Boat Club (CUBC) squad. Now Women’s President of CUBC, she is among the most experienced athletes in this year’s Cambridge line-up.

"I’m really excited to race the Boat Race again this year – we’ve had a great season so far and seen a lot of progress so we’re looking forward to seeing what we can do on 4 April," said King.

"I’m really grateful to St John’s and LMBC for the support I’ve received over the years and for helping make my time at Cambridge what it has been."

King previously represented Cambridge in the Lightweight crews in 2019 and 2022, rowed in Blondie – the women’s reserve crew – in 2020, 2021 and 2023, and helped the Blue Boat secure victories in both 2024 and 2025.

🛶Gemma King is pictured (far right) with the 2026 CUBC Women's Blue Boat crew. 📸Nordin Ćatić

06/03/2026

‘Mastermind’ PhD student in BBC show’s semi-finals...

A St John’s postgraduate is through to the next round of BBC Two’s 'Mastermind' TV quiz show after winning her episode aired on Monday.

Milena Malcharek got all her questions right in the round on her specialist subject, the operas of Giacomo Puccini, finishing the show with an impressive 22 points under her belt – and said she wasn’t intimidated by sitting in the famous black leather chair.

The PhD student in Pharmacology, who competed with St John’s 'University Challenge' team in the series broadcast on BBC Two in 2020-2021, said: “Cambridge undergraduate supervisions were a good preparation for this kind of questioning – it meant I didn’t find presenter Clive Myrie intimidating!

“I have a broad range of interests and have done well in various kinds of quizzes, so I thought that it might be an enjoyable – and potentially useful – experience, and that it certainly wouldn’t hurt to try my luck,” added Milena. “At the very least, I would have a strong motivation to learn a lot of new things.”

Milena, whose first episode was filmed in June 2025, enjoyed the experience largely thanks to how friendly and helpful the production team was.

“The big 'Mastermind' chair was surprisingly comfortable, but being in it definitely warps your perception of time – it seems to flow a lot faster when you sit in it compared to when you watch other contestants answering their questions.”

Milena’s semi-final episode, which was filmed in September, will be broadcast in the coming weeks, when viewers will find out if she makes it to the final.

📸 Courtesy of the BBC

05/03/2026

The Cambridge chapter before Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights...

Did you know the patriarch of the Brontë family was a St John’s College undergraduate who changed his surname from Brunty to Brontë? A name his three daughters would later make famous in books that have sold millions of copies worldwide.

Long before Heathcliff haunted the moors or Jane Eyre found her husband’s first wife in the attic, a young Irishman named Patrick Brunty came up to St John’s.

Born in County Down in 1777, he was admitted to the College as a sizar in 1802 and studied divinity and history. He won University prizes and immersed himself in evangelical circles.

During his undergraduate years he altered the spelling of his surname to Brontë – a change later immortalised by his daughters Charlotte, Emily and Anne.

Patrick went on to become a published poet, pamphleteer and clergyman, and in 1820 moved to Haworth as perpetual curate.

There, in the parsonage overlooking the moors, his children would grow up to write Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey.

🎨The Brontë Sisters (Anne Brontë; Emily Brontë; Charlotte Brontë) by Patrick Branwell Brontë © National Portrait Gallery, London.

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