All your latest news and events

Newswire
June 2020

News

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge, announces retirement for 2021

Our Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Stuart Corbridge, has announced his intention to retire at the end of the next academic year, 31 July 2021.

UK Government Supports Covid-19 Detection Dogs Trial

The UK Government has awarded a specialist team of researchers over £500,000 to discover how our specially-trained bio-detection dogs could be used in new rapid testing measures for Covid-19.

Durham 'World Top 50' for UN Sustainable Development Goals

We have been named as one of the world’s top universities for our contribution to a number of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Ten DU Academics Acknowledged by Parliament for Covid-19 Research

Congratulations to our academics from across faculties, including Durham University Business School and Durham Law School, who were recognised for their support to Parliament.

Events

The BIG Durham Talent Show

We tested your knowledge with The BIG Durham Quiz, now we want to see your skills in The BIG Durham Talent Show.

Enter here

Aligning Stewardship Objectives Across the Institutional Investment Community

Join Dr Anna Tilba on Wednesday 3 June to look at building resilient and long-term relationships between asset owners, asset managers and investee companies as well as effective stewardship which are important now more than ever.

A Career Plan

If you are just getting started with career planning, reflecting on your career so far, or considering a change, join this interactive session with our Durham careers team. On Thursday 4 June they will cover the key stages of career planning including reviewing your current position, self-awareness, researching opportunities and planning your next steps.

Save the date – Friday 5 June at 6pm, Music Durham Cathedral Concert screening!

Music Durham presents film of the 2019 Cathedral Concert, featuring Durham Chancellor and opera singer Sir Thomas Allen, and a packed programme of uplifting film music.

Grab your popcorn and get together virtually with friends to enjoy some of the best music that Durham has to offer.

5 June, 6pm

A Sense of the City: Live Careers and Financial Markets Outlook, Webcast and Student Q&A

Senior Durham University city leaders – Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Sir Robert Fairbairn and Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman William Russell – will join colleagues from the University on Thursday 11 June to discuss the outlook for recent and forthcoming graduates working in financial services around the world.

Tackling Domestic Abuse and Lockdown Interventions

In this session, Professor Nicole Westmarland will talk to us about the work that she was doing before Covid-19 on a pilot project trialling online group work with perpetrators of domestic abuse in Minnesota, US and how she and other CRiVA members have used their research to support domestic abuse interventions during the Covid-19 lockdown - on Thursday 18 June.

Risk and Decision Making in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Understanding the current position and the potential policy avenues is an intensely complex problem. Our Institute for Hazard, Risk and Resilience is working on a framework for risk and decision making for non-medical professionals. Professor Julian Williams takes us through their approach - on Wednesday 24 June.

Your Professional Profile

Join this on Thursday 25 June interactive session with our Durham careers team as they guide us through how to put yourself out there when looking for a first job or a post-Covid change.

Areas covered will include networking, social media, LinkedIn and speculative approaches.

View all upcoming events

Check our events pages regularly for all of the upcoming alumni events across the world.

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Alumni

Class Notes

Culture Healing Communities is a craft-based group creating giant blankets to raise money for NHS charities and run by Sandra Almeida (Biological Sciences, Stephenson College, 2012-14) and PhD student Veronica Freitas.

Julie Barton née Greenwood (Education, College of St Hild and St Bede, 1985-89) has recently been appointed as the new High Sheriff of Cumbria.

Brothers Nick Daniels (Engineering, St Cuthbert’s Society, 2006-10) and Tim Daniels (Natural Sciences, Collingwood College 2008-11) run a business together called Portal, an iOS wellbeing app that supports people's mental health and productivity, through helping focus, sleep and relaxation.

Kathleen Koch (Politics, University College, 1990-91) written several poems and songs, some especially to offer uplift and positive perspective during these days of uncertainty.

Edward Mason (Economic History, St Aidan’s College, 1981-84) is one of three co-founders of True Royalty Television, the world’s first and only TV channel dedicated to Royalty.

David Pennant (Education, St Chad's, 1973-74) has created Turn To Jesus as an effort to help people in the current times.

Martin Ferguson Smith, Emeritus Professor of Classics, has published an article, written for general readers, on Covid-19 and Ancient Philosophy.

Vice Admiral Sir David Steel (Law. Grey College, 1980-83) has been announced as Gibraltar's next Governor.

Colleges

Collingwood College

To mark Collingwood Day on Monday 15 June, we will be inviting everyone in our College community to celebrate all things Collingwood, wherever you are in the world. Reminisce, dig out old stash, arrange video catch-ups with Collingwood friends, and get involved on social media throughout the day. Full details to follow via email in the coming weeks. For now, make sure you’re following us on Instagram and Facebook.

Hatfield College

As we continue to support our Hatfield students at a distance this Easter term we would love to hear from you, our alumni and friends, with ideas of how particularly our graduating students might best navigate their careers in these uncertain times. We welcome offers of support and work experience, or perhaps, you would be happy to take part in one of our virtual Career Conversations.

St Cuthbert's Society

Cuth's students have been busy with a Cuth's vs Hild Bede The Big Distance Varsity Fundraiser and the JCR also organised Cuth’s does Eurovision.

St John's College

Have you heard of Humans of John's? It's a student-led Instagram page featuring Johnians and their stories. Why not take a look and consider sending in your story?

St Mary's College

The President of St Mary's JCR would like to invite alumni of the College to a virtual Mary's Day.

University College

To show our appreciation of all the amazing NHS workers we’re flying the #StayHome #ProtecttheNHS #Savelives flag from the top of the Castle. Whilst the building itself is closed, we look forward to reopening when it is safe to do so and welcoming members of University College back to Palace Green.

Van Mildert College

We invite our alumni to join us on Tuesday 23 June for our virtual Mildert Day, a chance to celebrate all things Mildert! Featuring contributions from staff, students and our wider community, we hope that you will get involved in our exciting, yet unconventional, College day filled with online activities! Keep up to date via our social media channels!

Departments

Anthropology

Dr Amanda Tan’s research on long-tailed macaques using tools to access shellfish on Thailand’s coast featured prominently in the final episode of BBC 1’s new major wildlife series, Primates. Our UK alumni should be able to catch it on BBC iPlayer and it will be appearing on international networks too. We are also delighted to announce that Professor Nayanika Mookherjee won one of the 2019 Praxis Awards from the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists of the Society of Applied Anthropology for her graphic novel Birangona and project Towards Ethical Testimonies of Sexual Violence During Conflict (Bangladesh).

Centre for Catholic Studies

CCS members offer some thoughts about the pandemic – some words of hope, consolation, food for thought and more.

Durham Energy Institute

Durham Energy Institute has moved its seminar series online! Wherever you are in the world you can no access the series of Wednesday talks by leading energy researchers and energy leaders from Durham University and our partner organisations and companies.

History

The History department have just published there second podcast on Love and Collecting in a Time of War.

Oriental Museum Moves Art Exhibition Online

This British Museum touring exhibition Pushing Paper: contemporary drawing from 1970 to now explores how contemporary artists are increasingly returning to drawing to examine the modern world. This online exhibition includes works by leading artists Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry and David Hockney.

Team Durham athletes raise over £16,000 for charity

The last two months have seen a huge change for our student athletes as the country went into lockdown. Adjusting to life at home, dealing with leagues and seasons coming to an abrupt end or even failing to get started in some cases to studying hard for upcoming ‘online’ exams, we have been extremely proud of how our athletes have dealt with these unprecedented times.

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