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University of Cambridge

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    New Hall Society International Women's Day Event 2018
    New Hall Society International Women's Day Event 2018

    ***ELECTION RESULT***

    Following an election held by Single Transferrable Vote, the Chair of the New Hall Society is delighted to announce that three alumnae have been elected to the Committee:

    Jacynth Bassett (MEC 2010)
    Dr Catarina Cardoso (NH 1991)
    Jane Mulkerrins (NH 1997)

    Congratulations to Jacynth, Catarina and Jane. A large thank you also goes to everyone who stood as a candidate at the election and to alumnae for casting your votes. 

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    All alumnae of the College are automatically members of the New Hall Society, which currently has over 6000 members, ranging from graduates of our very first years in the 1950s, to young women who have recently left the College.

    The Society keeps alumnae all over the world in touch, working with the College to deliver events and the New Hall Society Review.

    All alumnae are invited to get involved with the work of the New Hall Society, whether by attending the AGM, which is held during International Women's Day in March, or by joining the New Hall Society Committee, which meets termly in College.

    New Hall Society Committee

    If you are interested in becoming more involved with the New Hall Society, why not join the Committee? The Committee meets in College four times a year to discuss ideas for events and publications.

    The Committee consist of four officers and not more than 12 members representing all New Hall Society members. Appointment is for three years and Committee members shall retire annually by rotation. Retiring members shall be eligible for re-election. The Committee has the right to co-opt for a year at a time.

    Current Committee Members 

    Edna Murphy

     

     

    Interim Chair, Edna Murphy,
    NH 1978

    Edna graduated with a law degree and went on to take a Master's in Law in NYU Law School, and later an MBA at the Open University. Initially working in charity and tech businesses, she then went into higher education administration, running the Research Office at the University of Cambridge, setting up Imperial’s Joint Research Office (between the College and the NHS), running the Faculty of Medical Sciences at UCL, returning to Cambridge initially to be a Bursar. Since 2021 she has been mostly involved in local government, as a County Councillor, Chairing the Fire Authority and on the Board of the Mayor’s Combined Authority. She also works part time in the University.

    Alongside her professional career, she has also been a Magistrate in Cambridge for 26 years, an NHS NED in London, trustee of several music and education charities and, with fellow New Hall alumna Clare Gilmour, she set up Cambridge Youth Music. Edna plays violin and viola and enjoys music-making in Cambridge and Ely.

    Jacynth Bassett (MEC 2010) Biography to follow

    Kate Campbell, NH 1970

    After reading History at New Hall, Kate Campbell went on to work at the BBC World Service and teach in an inner London secondary school before having her family early. While her children were young she variously worked part-time, mainly in language and History teaching and in a voluntary capacity with Vietnamese refugees.  When her family returned to Cambridge and her children had all started school she took an English undergraduate degree and PhD, then tutored in English and interdisciplinary studies at the University of East Anglia and supervised English students at Cambridge University for several years. In 2003 she became a Lecturer in English at UEA, where her broad background led to her directing and teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate interdisciplinary programmes as well as English literature.

     

    Since leaving UEA in 2014 she has taken courses in Counselling Skills, worked as a volunteer with those with memory impairment, and is now enjoying historical and literary pursuits, including her role in East Anglian Writers.  Her awareness of the great value of her years in Cambridge and her circuitous career have led her to join the New Hall Society Committee. 

    Dr Catarina Cardoso (NH 1991) Biography to follow

    Dr Fran Henson, MEC Fellow

    Frances matriculated at Murray Edwards’ in 1985 (and has never left!). She read Natural Sciences (Part II Zoology) before continuing onto transferred the Veterinary Medicine Course, qualifying in 1992. She then undertook a PhD in the field of equine orthopaedics followed by Specialist training in the field of equine orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Over the next 20 years she built up a successful inter-disciplinary research group in orthopaedic research, working within the Department of Surgery, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Department of Veterinary Medicine in Cambridge where she held the post of Senior Lecturer in Equine Studies until 2019. With her twin daughters now off to University it was time for a change and – following time at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket and at the University of Nottingham Veterinary School – she left the academic sector for the private sector. She is now Clinical Director at Oakdale Veterinary Centre in Cambridgeshire as well as holding an Honorary Associate Professorship at the University of Nottingham. She is the Director of Studies of Veterinary Medicine at Murray Edwards’, enjoying supporting and guiding new generations of Veterinary surgeons.

     

     

    Olga Kouri, NH 1991

    Olga read Law at New Hall and graduated in 1993. She went on to work in City law firms until 1998 when she moved with her family to the USA. Upon her return to the UK in 2004, she moved permanently to Cambridge with her husband and three children.

    Olga has been working as a legal advisor for GMT Maritime since 2006 and has been running a pear and apple orchard since 2014. Her other interests include tutoring and mentoring children in humanities.

     

    Professor Chris Huang,
    Emeritus Fellow
    (Co-Opted Member)

     

    Chris Huang read Medicine and Physiology on a Florence Heale Scholarship award at The Queen's College, Oxford, completing preregistration appointments in the Nuffield Department of Medicine. His PhD was in membrane biophysics as MRC Scholar with Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He was successively Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer, Reader and Professor of Cell Physiology at Cambridge, whilst being Fellow and Director of Medical Studies at Murray Edwards College. His senior medical and science doctorates are from Oxford and Cambridge.  

    His 400 research publications contribute to understanding of the transduction and propagation of biological signaling events bearing on initiation of striated muscle and osteoclast activity, cortical spreading depression in the central nervous system, and cardiac arrhythmogenesis. He has also written/edited 11 textbooks/monographs.  

    He received the LEPRA Award, and the Benefactor's, Brian Johnson and Rolleston (Oxford) and Gedge Prizes (Cambridge). He was/is editor of the Journal of Physiology, Monographs of the Physiological Society, Biological Reviews, BMC Physiology, Europace, ELife and Biographical Memoirs of the Royal Society, adjunct/visiting professor to the Universities of Debrecen, Hong Kong, Mount Sinai Medical School, NY, Surrey, Xi’an Jiaotong and Luzhuo Universities, and Biological Secretary then President of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 

    He was/is INED of HutchMed (AIM/NASDAQ) and Hutchison Biofilm Solutions, Manager of the Prince Philip Scholarship fund, and Sino British foundation Trustee, and served on the British Heart Foundation Fellowships Board and Advisory Council. 

    Ingrid Iversen, NH 1980

    After graduating with a degree in Economics, Ingrid worked in the financial sector for many years and in many roles. Throughout her career her focus was on emerging markets, initially as an economist researching country risk and ultimately moving on to managing emerging market funds. 

    In 2009 she returned to academia to pursue a new and completely different interest – archaeology. She completed a MA in Archaeology (of the Middle East) and then a PhD on the subject of early Neolithic communities. Her ongoing research is based on sites in Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey, and involves working on excavations in those countries. She feels very fortunate to have found a second 'career', which is just as rewarding as her first in the financial sector.

    The time spent at New Hall furnished Ingrid with many of the skills, both professional and academic, which have allowed her to pursue two very different careers. She would like to help in encouraging young women to apply so they too can benefit from the great teaching and supportive environment offered by the College.

     

    Mariam Makramalla, MEC 2012

    Mariam is an educational researcher, passionate about utilising evidence based research methods to address practice related gaps in Middle Eastern education systems. She is also involved in pre-service teacher training in collaboration with the American University in Cairo, where she acts as an instructor in the Professional Educators Diploma programme, supporting the STEM Education track.

    As a public engagement researcher, she is currently working on a project that aims to use the arts as a medium to re-imagine the societal role of schooling in Egypt, where Mariam is currently residing.

    In terms of her social engagement, she has been a board member of Life Vision for Development (an Egyptian NGO serving the underprivileged in society) for the past eight years. She has also recently joined the RSA as a Fellow.

    Having graduated with both an MPhil and a PhD from the University of Cambridge, Mariam is also a member of T20, Egypt’s network of graduates of top 20 universities. She is currently involved in co-founding her educational social venture to serve schools in Egypt and in the Middle East more generally.

    Fiona McWilliams
    Director of Development & Alumnae Relations
    (Co-Opted Member)
    Fiona has recently left the Natural History Museum where she was Executive Director of Development since 2015. During this time she oversaw a step change in the capacity and ambition of the Development (fundraising and advocacy) function, building a new team and leading the fundraising and launch plans for significant projects. The £13m fundraising target for the new ‘Hintze Hall’ was exceeded, Dippy on Tour – sending the Museum’s much loved diplodocus around the four nations of the UK – was fully funded, and the Museum’s ambitious Urban Nature Project is set to exceed its £19.6m target. She was responsible for key Museum relationships including Sir David Attenborough and the Museum’s Patron, The Duchess of Cambridge.
     
    Fiona joined the NHM from SOAS University of London where she was Director of External Relations and Development, responsible for fundraising and alumni relations, marketing, communications and student recruitment. Her achievements there included signing the biggest single gift in SOAS’ history at £20m. Fiona began her fundraising career at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. This followed a career in public relations and marketing in international television, including setting up and selling her own agency. Her television clients included HBO, National Geographic, Brook Lapping, Wark Clements, Tiger Aspect and Kermit the Frog (Jim Henson Productions).
    Jane Mulkerrins (NH 1997) Biography to follow
    Professor Cathy Mulligan, NH 2007 Biography to follow

    Dr Beth Richardson, NH 2010

    Beth Richardson read Biological Natural Sciences at Murray Edwards College, and graduated in 2014 with a BA and MSci in Natural Sciences with a specialisation in Biochemistry. Following her love of microbes in extreme environments, she moved to Canada to continue her studies and completed a PhD in ecology and postdoctoral work at the University of Alberta. Now Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Genetics at Mount Royal University in Calgary, her research focuses on how microbial genetics can help us evaluate ecosystem resilience and reclamation in the Athabasca Oil Sands and Canadian Arctic.

    Beth's favourite part of her job is teaching and science outreach, and she is passionate about accessibility in higher education. By staying connected to Murray Edwards College, she hopes to share her love of learning with the next generation of women undergraduates and help alumni stay connected to opportunities within their global community.

     

    Johanna Roodt

    Johanna Roodt, NH 2009

    Johanna Roodt (Tilly) read East Asian Studies (Japanese) at Murray Edwards College, graduated in 2013 and then went on to Columbia University in New York to become a certified language teacher. In New York she further completed a 200h Yoga teacher certification. She then started off her career by working as an international events manager organising fun runs in Japan and travelling back and forth between Europe, Japan and the USA. Upon meeting her South African boyfriend (now husband), she moved to South Africa and worked as a recruitment consultant for a FTSE 250 company. Her husband had to relocate to Belgium for his work in 2015. In Belgium, Johanna initially continued working as a recruitment consultant, she later switched to a Marketing and Sales role at the world's largest beer company and is now working as a high school geography, ethics and language teacher at one of the so-called European schools (schools for kids of those working for EU institutions...). In the meantime, she has also completed a Masters in International Business Management and has become a certified coach. When Johanna isn't working at the school, you'll probably find her spending time with her son, teaching yoga, giving career advice or a Japanese lesson, coaching or travelling. She loves adventures and has even already been to North Korea!

    Johanna joined the New Hall Society Committee to stay connected to college, her home away from home, and to help as many girls as possible to apply!

    Photo of Dr Elizabeth Waldram

     

     

    Dr Elizabeth Waldram, NH 1955
    (Co-Opted Member)

    Elizabeth has been co-opted to the committee to represent the `Silver Street’ years (1954 to 1964), those of us whose home was in the old Hermitage rather than the Dome. She came for her interview in 1954, only a few weeks after the very beginning of the college; there were just 18 undergraduates in her year. Since reading Natural Sciences, with Part 2 Physics, she has worked in the Cavendish Laboratory over a period of more than 50 years. In the 60s she wrote software, including some of the first ever computer graphics, on one of the earliest electronic computers, the Cambridge Edsac. As well as her involvement in research, she has been concerned with the public communication of science, organising school tours of the Radio-Astronomy Observatory, and is particularly keen to encourage girls in Physics. She is currently an Emeritus Research Associate in the Cavendish Astrophysics group.

    Elizabeth is glad to serve on the committee to help to keep older members in touch with the College and perhaps to remind younger members of our pioneering origins.

    Getting in touch

    You can contact the New Hall Society Committee directly by emailing: newhallsociety@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk.