Fourth-year Biologist Ruth Arnold will be jetting across the Atlantic next year to continue her studies, having been awarded the Oxford-Canada Rhodes Scholarship (OCRS) for postgraduate study.

Congratulations to Pembroke alumna Dr Katerina Johnson (2011, Biological Sciences & 2014, DPhil in Interdisciplinary Bioscience) who recently secured an exceptional book deal with Penguin to publish her debut book, Gut Feelings.

Every year, six alumni are selected to have their portraits hung in the College Dining Hall. These are a daily reminder of the remarkable achievements and contributions of Pembrokians around the world and across hugely varied sectors and fields.

At the end of December, Pembroke Rokos Fellow and Tutor in Computer Science Professor Ana Namburete was featured as a guest on the annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. With the theme of the 2023 lectures focusing on “The Truth About AI”, Ana was invited to appear in the second episode of the series, as part of a discussion of how artificial intelligence can revolutionise healthcare.

At the end of a brisk day on 12th January, 2024, around four hundred students and staff members gathered on Chapel Quad, hot drinks and 400-branded cupcakes in hand. What else could attract such numbers to a cold, dark January evening but the desire to join the first of our celebrations commemorating the 400th Anniversary of Pembroke College? With drinks flowing, canapés fresh from the oven and a particularly magical Light Show, the launch was truly a night to remember.

In celebration of the College’s 400th anniversary which we mark this year, our brand-new College history book was launched in November at two events held in Oxford and London. Edited by Gregory Neale, an alumnus of the College himself, Pembroke College: The First 400 Years tracks Pembroke’s history from its roots in Broadgates Hall to the lively and diverse College we know and love today.

From 4th to 19th November, the Pembroke JCR Art Fund Gallery hosted an exhibition of artwork titled ‘A WORLD AWAY’. Inviting you to “experience worlds real and imagined”, A WORLD AWAY featured pieces from a father and daughter, Gabriella and Julian Bailey, with links to Dorset and Oxford – places which have shaped the literary universe of many writers and artists including Thomas Hardy. On 11th November, we visited the gallery to speak with Gabriella and curator Myroslava Hartmond about the exhibition.

Pembroke alumna Susan Rowland (1981, English) has recently published the second instalment in her mystery novel series, The Alchemy Fire Murder. We caught up with Susan to discuss her series, her career since graduating and her time at Pembroke.

Last month staff from across College gathered for our annual Long Service Awards, an opportunity to recognise the dedicated service of those that have been with us for over 10 years. Fifteen staff members received awards, recognising a total of 325 years of service between them, with the longest serving member having worked at Pembroke for an incredible forty-one years.