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Newswire
May 2025

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Your alumni newsletter

Welcome to your newsletter.

In a busy month, we have welcomed Their Majesties The King and Queen to Durham and officially opened Waterside, the new home of our Business School.

We are planning to share a link to our alumni survey with you over the next few weeks, and we are looking forward to hearing your views to shape our plans.

On a sad note, our thoughts are with the global Roman Catholic community, and everyone touched by the news of the passing of Pope Francis.

Explore our latest news below.

King and Queen attend historic Royal Maundy Service in Durham

We marked a truly historic and joyous occasion with the visit of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the Royal Maundy Service at Durham Cathedral.

The new home of our Business School officially opens

Global business leader, environmentalist and author Paul Polman gave an outstanding keynote speech at the opening of Waterside, the prestigious new home of the Durham University Business School.

Pictured (left to right): Incoming Business School Executive Dean Professor Kieran Fernandes; Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O’Brien; keynote speaker Paul Polman.

Our statement on the death of Pope Francis: A Pope of Compassion

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Pope Francis. Durham theologian, Professor Anna Rowlands, has been engaged in helping to shape the future of the Catholic Church as part of the global Synod process.

Research to empower and inspire

We conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference globally and locally.

Durham is to launch the Leverhulme Centre for Algorithmic Life, with help from the Leverhulme Trust to explore new ways to understand how humans interact with algorithmic technologies. The Centre will be led by Durham’s Professor of Political Geography, Louise Amoore.

Read our latest research

Our Community

Alumni support funds revitalisation of historic garden

Thanks to over 100 gifts from individuals and the University College Durham Trust, work is underway to revitalise the beautiful yet underused Fellows’ Garden in the heart of Durham.

Discover the secrets of the stolen Shakespeare First Folio

Our copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio is on display for the first time in over a decade as the centrepiece of a new exhibition, Shakespeare Recovered.

Class Notes

We’re proud to celebrate your successes and achievements. Click the button below to read more about what you’ve been up to this month.

Bringing new dimensions to fantasy sports

Debtanu Das (Finance and Investment, Ustinov College, 2022-23) and Trang Quynh Phan (Finance and Investment, Ustinov College, 2022-23) have co-founded web3-based fantasy sports platform Twelvth. UK business news site BusinessLive has conducted an interview with Debtanu to profile the company.

"My focus is on launching and growing Twelvth, turning it into a market leader. The challenge of building a business, bringing people together, and seeing an idea come to life is what excites me the most." Debtanu Das

Image: Debtanu Das (left) with co-founder Trang Quynh Phan.

Claire Bacon née Simpson (Management, Spanish and French, St Aidan's College, 2002-06)

Prof Dr Hamit Ersoy (PhD in Middle East Studies, Graduate Society, 1990-94)

Oliver Knowles (Politics, University College, 1995-98)

Hannah Thomas (History and Arabic, University College, 2011-15)

Why not share your own news with us?

Lifelong learning

We have a wide range of postgraduate study options for you to continue your education and programmes for working professionals.

You can also browse a range of scholarships, including our alumni fee scholarship and new postgraduate student support scholarship.

Get Involved

Look out for our 2025 Alumni Survey - your opinion matters!

You will soon be receiving your personal email link to take part in our survey. It only takes a few minutes to complete, but your input will help us to shape the future of how we connect, communicate, and grow together.

Be part of Durham Venture School 2025

Join the world of cutting-edge startups, turn bold ideas into reality, receive a stipend and compete for £10,000! Apply for Durham Venture School here.

Volunteer at Summer Congregation

We're looking forward to celebrating with our graduates at Summer Congregation and would like to invite alumni to volunteer with us from 2–9 July.

View all upcoming events

Check our events pages regularly for all the upcoming alumni events across the world, and how you can join in.

Events calendar

Colleges

Van Mildert Alumni Celebrate 60 Years - Norman Tower, Windsor Castle

The Norman Tower at Windsor Castle provided the setting for the latest event marking the College’s 60th year, where College Principal Professor Tom Mole shared Van Mildert’s vision for the future with attendees.

Castle Chapel Choir CD to honour memory of alumnus David Knowles

The University College choir are recording an album in memory of late journalist David Knowles, a much-loved Castle alumnus and talented musician.